BBC Criticized for Bizarre BAFTA Red Carpet Interview With Andrew Scott

As Andrew Scott readied himself to attend EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, his schedule probably seemed set: support All of Us Strangers, present the award for best animated film, and maybe enjoy a canapé or two. An unexpected hitch in the itinerary, however, came along the red carpet, when a BBC reporter pulled the Irish actor over for a quick interview and proceeded to pelt him with bizarre questions about another actor’s genitalia.

Colin Paterson, an entertainment correspondent and red carpet veteran, opened the interview by asking if Scott knew Barry Keoghan, who was up for best actor at that night’s ceremony for his performance in Saltburn. When Scott replied that he did, Paterson asked what he’d thought of “the naked dance scene” that Keoghan performs to close out the film.

Scott, who is gay, ducked his head and winced. “OK, well, listen, I won’t spoil it for anybody,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s great. It’s great.”

“You can spoil away,” Paterson offered, then launched into his next question. “There is a lot of talk about prosthetics. How well do you know him?”

Scott waved his hand and walked away, smiling, as Paterson joked, “Too much? Too much?”

A clip of the segment quickly went viral on social media, attracting outrage from users who decried Paterson’s line of questioning as offensive, inappropriate, and just plain cringeworthy.

Callum Scott Howells, an actor who was nominated for a BAFTA in 2022 for his turn in queer historical series It’s a Sin, retweeted the video and added, “who the f*ck have they dragged off the street to interview andrew scott and why is he my mate’s drunk dad at a party.”

A spokesperson for the BBC did not immediately respond to a late-night request for comment from The Daily Beast.

While he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in All of Us Strangers, Scott was not up for a BAFTA on Sunday night. The film received a total of six nominations, including for best British film, but ultimately went home empty-handed.

Claire Foy, who plays Scott’s mother in the romantic-fantasy drama and was nominated for best supporting actress, told The Independent that it didn’t matter that her co-star had been snubbed. “Andrew—I think everybody knows how extraordinary he is and what an incredible actor he is,” she said.

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