BAFTA Reviews Trustee Tickets After Legal Warning — SkimNews
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- BAFTA launched an independent review of its historic guest-ticket arrangements, led by a group of three unnamed industry executives, after trustee benefits were challenged at the Academy's annual general meeting.
- Michael Pritchett, elected chair of BAFTA's membership council and an independent film producer, told members that trustees had taken complimentary tickets for themselves and a guest at the film, television and games awards — a custom he said had run for up to 20 years, with guest tickets potentially worth up to £2,000 ($2,665).
- BAFTA trustees approved accounts stating that no trustees received remuneration for their services during the year, while Pritchett's self-funded legal advice concluded that offenses under the Charities Act and the Companies Act were likely committed by the trustees who approved them.
- Hilary Rosen, BAFTA's new chair, is among the volunteer trustees the Academy says attend award events in a working, ambassadorial capacity; BAFTA discontinued plus-one guest tickets in 2025 on its governance committee's recommendation but stands by giving trustees themselves free tickets.
- Sara Putt, BAFTA's former chair, said at the AGM that the Academy had obtained its own legal advice based on a fuller picture of the ticketing issue and had not shared it with Pritchett or other members; Pritchett said a senior BAFTA executive refused his request for records of who received free tickets, citing no policy.
- Pritchett also questioned whether BAFTA paid tax and National Insurance on the tickets, saying he could not confirm whether anything had been reported since 2016; members paid £4.7 million in membership fees last year.
Why it matters: For BAFTA's members, who paid £4.7 million in fees last year, the conflict is concrete: the trustees who approved accounts saying they took no remuneration are the ones accused of accepting guest tickets worth up to £2,000. The independent review now scrutinizes the historic practice, while the records Pritchett says he was denied and the Academy's own legal advice were not provided to him.
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