I don't get all the asks (not just at your blog) about David not being the Bafta host anymore. Didn't he say so after last time? Pretty sure he said that it's to be the last one for him. He joked that he wasn't gonna decline the second time so that people wouldn't think he wasn't asked back, but two times was enough. Like... Am I onsane or what? I clearly remember this. I knew he wasn't gonna host the Baftas this year because he said so last time, and I don't understand why so many fans are surprised/sad about it...
(Grouping together for ease of answering.)
Hi Anons. Yes, you are correct, David did say that he was not going to host the BAFTAs again. Anon #2: The observation that I was making in my post that you linked to was in response to seeing fans say how disappointed they were and that they wouldn't be watching without David vs. Georgia seemingly not being disappointed at all. That does not mean this was new news or that both of them didn't already know he would not be coming back. What remains unclear is whether he was actually invited to host again and declined, or was not asked to host again.
To be clear, however, I also have no idea why this has blown up as much as it has. I haven't been able to be on Tumblr much over the last few days, but seeing this get turned into such a big thing is more than a little mind-boggling. As I said in my previous post, hosting the BAFTAs is not the most important thing David has ever done, nor is it his best-ever work, yet there is still an incessant need on the part of the fandom to act like it is, which I also do not understand. By definition, every project David is part of can't be "the best thing he's ever done," but people seem so afraid to just say that out loud, or to have any opinion that differs from what the fandom decides is the "correct" one.
David is a talented actor. He's able to go from drama to comedy in a heartbeat and make it all look effortless. Which is, at least in my opinion, why it's clear that hosting an awards show is not the best use of his talents, because he did visibly struggle at certain moments (both in 2024 and this year). And if it was something he truly enjoyed, there's no reason to think he might not have come back for a third time (such as NPH did when hosting the Tonys years ago). So it could be that "Oh I probably won't do it again. I think if I can do it twice and get away with it, I should gently step away" is David's way of graciously playing off the fact that he didn't enjoy the experience and consequently doesn't want to do it again, but without actually saying that because it would be unprofessional to do so.
In any case, it's over and done, Alan Cumming (who is phenomenal and charming but will also have to operate within the constraints of an award show format) is the new host for next year, and David can move on to other projects. All of which is a (hopefully) good thing...
