Backstage at the BAFTA Film Awards 2025
Royal Festival Hall, London · February 2025
After photographing the Scottish BAFTAs in November 2024, the BAFTA photography team offered me the chance to photograph the Film Awards backstage in February 2025. I couldn’t believe it. What an opportunity to capture candid moments with some of the biggest stars in the world.
John Clark celebrating at the end of the BAFTA night. Photograph by the fabulous Millie Turner.
Walking into the green room
After a tour with the team, I was told to get settled backstage in the green room. I walked in and there was Kate Winslet, chatting to Zoë Saldaña. It was one of those moments where you have to remind yourself that this is actually happening.
Kate had skipped the red carpet, and one of my first photographs that evening was of her with Zoë. Seeing that image used by Sky News was incredible. The night had barely started, and the buzz just kept building.
A whirlwind of candid moments
Hugh Grant, Simon Pegg, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet — there were so many people I’d watched on screen, suddenly right there in front of my camera. Everyone I met was so lovely. Between the conversations, laughter and celebrations, the whole evening felt like a whirlwind.
Those are the moments I love photographing: people being themselves, enjoying the occasion and forgetting about the camera. To capture that at the Royal Festival Hall, on a night like this, was something special.
A backstage chat with Simon Pegg
I also got a quick chat with Simon Pegg about Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise and all the amazing things going on. He was such a positive guy — I could have listened to him all night. He very kindly stood for a little backstage portrait for me, another moment from the evening I’ll always remember.
The team behind the photographs
The BAFTA team were incredible from start to finish. Editors were working on our photographs while we kept shooting, and there was always someone making sure we had a drink, something to eat and everything we needed. With the team and security looking after us, I felt completely supported and able to concentrate on the photography.
A huge thank you to Ellie, Claire, Jude and everyone at BAFTA for trusting me with this opportunity.
Seeing my work in print
Seeing my photographs appear in The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, The Sun and other papers made an already unforgettable experience even more surreal. Even now, just talking about the night brings that feeling straight back.
It also led to an invitation to photograph the BAFTA Television Awards in May 2025 — another experience I’ll share in a separate post.
A moment I’ll always remember
Backstage, Adrien Brody was absolutely buzzing after his win. As he signed the paperwork in front of him, he joked that he’d “signed my life away” and had us all laughing. It was one of those little moments I’ll never forget.
An experience I’ll never forget
I started photography as a hobby less than 20 years ago, so finding myself backstage at what, to me, is the biggest event in Britain still feels completely surreal. The trust the BAFTA team placed in me meant an incredible amount. I can’t speak highly enough of the people who looked after me, or the experience they made possible.
A big thank you to Steven William Weir, who edited for me on the day and has been such a great support throughout my BAFTA journey.
And a special thank you to Carlo Paloni. We’ve been friends for 20 years, and after I helped him out on a shoot, Carlo introduced me to BAFTA and helped me get my first job with them in 2019. That introduction started a journey I’ll always be grateful for.
