Edith Bowman / BAFTA Invest in Talent Gala 2026
The event was hosted by Edith Bowman and raised funds that will support BAFTA’s year-round charitable work to nurture and champion talent across the film, games and television industries
Last Thursday, leading industry figures across the screen arts attended BAFTA’s biennial Fundraising ‘Invest in Talent’ Gala to help raise vital funds to support the next generation of talent.
Stars from across the worlds of film, television and games attended in support. Guests included Abubakar Salim, Adot Gak, Alicia Vikander, Celie Imrie, Elizabeth McGovern, Ellie Goulding, Gwendoline Christie, Jason Isaacs, Jez Butterworth, Jimmy Carr, Joanne Froggatt, Lenny Henry, Lennie James, Mark Gatiss, Mark Quinn, Michael Fassbender, Natasha Kaplinsky, Nicholas Pinnock, Posy Sterling, Rob Brydon, Ronnie Wood, Russell Tovey, Sheila Atim, Tess Daly, and more.
This was the seventh edition of the BAFTA Gala. Nearly £1.2 million was raised – the highest amount ever fundraised by BAFTA in one night. This generous support will enable the charity to deliver its year-round programmes to support even more people to fulfil their creative potential.
CEO Jane Millichip, in her opening speech, said: “Socio-economic inequality not only stymies the talent pipeline, it stymies the stories themselves. And it is sobering to think that only 1 in 10 people working in the arts today come from working class backgrounds. At BAFTA, we have a vision that people from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to thrive in the screen industries, so they bring their rich and diverse stories for us to celebrate. And so, we foster the talent pipeline from school age and throughout careers.”
BAFTA saw over one million engagements with its programmes in 2025, which included BAFTA Young Games Designers, BAFTA bursaries and scholarships, national school roadshows and much more.
Alumni of BAFTA’s Young Presenter programme including Elizabeth Okogwu, Afraz Hussain, Jeriah Kilbusi and Tianna Moore spoke to guests on the red carpet, and alumni of BAFTA Breakthrough also came out to support, including Abubakar Salim, actor and games developer, Georgi Banks-Davis, award-winning director and Jack Rooke, award-winning comedian, writer. BAFTA Breakthrough, supported by Netflix, helps give a boost to talent on the cusp, or in the midst of, their breakthrough moment.
Prince William BAFTA Bursary and scholarship alumni also attended as guests of BAFTA, including, Hosea Ntaborwa, a Production Sound First Assistant and Boom Operator; Tomi Machado, camera assistant; Alessia Mavakala writer, director and filmmaker; Madison Stock, actor; and Sam Hume, actor and creative producer. The BAFTA Bursary Fund provides grants of up to £2,000 each to help creatives from across Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland cover essential costs, such as driving lessons, specialist training, relocation and equipment, which can otherwise prevent talented people from pursuing careers in the screen industries.
Music for the evening was curated by iconic music venue KOKO. Guests enjoyed a special live performance from award-winning singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding, who sang her chart-topping hits ‘Outside’ and ‘Love Me Like You Do’. Singer songwriter Josh Barry sang ‘Young’.
The evening was compered by Scottish television and radio presenter Edith Bowman and featured a live auction chaired by Harry Rosebery, Honorary Chairman, Sotheby’s UK and Ireland.
BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip, added: “BAFTA is a charity with a remit to champion excellence in the screen arts, to engage the public in film, games and television, and to ensure the screen arts are the best they can be… Why? Because not only do stories matter, the people who tell the stories matter. It is vital we hear and see stories from all parts of society. And for that to happen we need storytellers from all parts of society, especially those from under-represented groups.”
The BAFTA Gala took place a week before the EE BAFTA Film Awards, Britain’s biggest night of film.
The 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will be hosted by Alan Cumming on Sunday 22 February, and will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer from 7pm in the UK. The ceremony will be broadcast in the US on E! at 8pm ET as well as a host of further international broadcasters to be announced. Viewers will also be able to find all the essential action from the red carpet, ceremony and beyond across BAFTA’s socials.
Find out more about the ceremony and this year’s nominations here.
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Download a selection of event imagery here
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About BAFTA
BAFTA’s mission as a charity is to champion the creative and cultural importance of the screen arts across film, games and television. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of talent initiatives and learning events that include masterclasses, lectures, scholarships, bursaries and mentoring schemes in the UK and North America, BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new screen talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
