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Stephen Fry will step down as host of the BAFTA Film Awards .
The comedian has played emcee to the prestigious ceremony for 12 years, first stepping on stage in 2001 to help hand over to Gladiator the award for Best Film, before taking a break between 2007-11.
In a statement, Fry said it was ”only right to stand down and let others take the BAFTAs on to new heights and greater glories”. He added: “What fun it will be to watch BAFTA 2018 without my heart hammering, mouth drying and knees trembling.”
“Every one of the 12 BAFTA Film Award ceremonies that I had the privilege of hosting has a place in my memory,” he continued. “The mixture of glamour, glory, drama and – occasionally – embarrassment and hiccup holds a unique place in the British film calendar.
“Over the last two decades I have especially loved watching the emergence of new young film talent behind and in front of the camera.”
Show all 27 1 /2727 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Black Panther Released: 12 February
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forest Whitaker, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Greatest Showman Released: 1 January
Director: Michael Gracey
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya,
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Darkest Hour Released: 12 January
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Released: 12 January
Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones >
Twentieth Century Fox
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Coco Released: 19 January
Director: Lee Unkrich ,p>Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Downsizing Released: 19 January
Director: Alexander Payne
Cast:
Matt Damon, Christopher Waltz, Jong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Early Man Released: 26 January
Director: Nick Park
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Fifty Shades Freed Released: 9 February
Director: James Foley
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Released: 9 February
Director: Wes Ball
Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Shape of Water Released: 16 February
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Annihilation Released: 23 February
Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Dark River Released: 23 February
Director: Clio Barnard
Cast: Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley, Sean Bean
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Red Sparrow Released: 2 March
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Tomb Raider Released: 16 March
Director: Roar Uthaug
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Dominic West,
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 A Wrinkle in Time Released: 23 March
Director: Ava DuVernay
Cast: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Zach Galifianakis
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Pacific Rim: Uprising Released: 23 March
Director: Steven S. DeKnight
Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Roman J Israel, Esq Released: 23 March
Director: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo
Columbia Pictures
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Isle of Dogs Released: 30 March
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ready Player One Released: 30 March
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Released: 27 April
Director: The Russo Brothers
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Untitled Han Solo Film Released: 25 May
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Released: 8 June
Director: J.A. Bayona
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pine, B.D. Wong, Toby Jones
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Deadpool 2 Released: 1 June
Director: David Leitch
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Zazie Beetz, Josh Brolin
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ocean's 8 Released: 22 June
Director: Gary Ross
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Munn, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Matt Damon
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Ant-Man and the Wasp Released: 29 June
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 Soldado Released: 29 June
Director: Stefano Sollima
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine
27 films to look out for in the first half of 2018 The Incredibles 2 Released: 13 July
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson
The BAFTA ceremony will take place 18 February.
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