Bafta row: trustees accused of breaking charity law over free plus-one tickets to its own awards
By Fuzzy Mushroom · Published
The chair of Bafta's membership council, producer Michael Pritchett, told the Academy's annual general meeting that trustees took free tickets for a guest at the film, TV and games awards for up to 20 years, with a second film-awards seat said to be worth £2,000. He says legal advice he paid for himself suggests trustees who signed off accounts stating they got no benefits may have broken charity and company law, and that the perks were probably taxable since 2016. Bafta says it scrapped the plus-ones in 2025, an independent review has been running since August, and its own lawyers had a fuller picture.
Harmless perk for unpaid volunteers, or a charity that needs to clean house?
How solid is this story?
Spore Score for the story: 87 (Rock solid). Status: Confirmed. On the record: Bafta spokesperson statement on the plus-one tickets and the independent review, plus Pritchett's remarks at the AGM.
Sources
- The Guardian: Bafta trustees may have broken charity law by accepting free guest tickets (28 October 2026)
- Deadline: BAFTA Launches Review Over Free Awards Guest Tickets For Trustees (29 October 2026)
- Screen Daily: Bafta review underway into possible historic breach of charity law (29 October 2026)
- Variety: BAFTA Trustees Accused of Potentially Violating Charity Law Over Free Ceremony Tickets (29 October 2026)
Our own summary: we always link to the original reporting. More Spore News · How the Spore Score works