Bafta Opens Review Over Trustee Guest Tickets — SkimNews
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- Michael Pritchett told Bafta’s annual general meeting that legal advice obtained at his own expense indicated likely Charities Act and Companies Act offences by trustees who approved the charity’s accounts.
- Bafta trustees were alleged to have received complimentary tickets for themselves and a guest at the film, television and games awards, potentially for as long as 20 years; the guest tickets were top-table, with a second ticket at the film awards selling for £2,000.
- Bafta’s 2024 and 2025 accounts stated that trustees received no remuneration for their services, while its public register recorded no remuneration, payments or benefits; its governing document barred trustees from receiving other benefits.
- Michael Pritchett said benefits of this kind had likely been taxable since 2016, that national insurance was potentially payable by Bafta, and that he could not establish whether the arrangements had been reported to the relevant authorities.
- Sara Putt said an independent review group was examining the separate guest-ticket and accounting matters and that the board would update members in due course; she added that Bafta’s own counsel had access to a fuller picture than Pritchett and Sara Curran.
- Bafta said trustees are volunteers invited to attend events in a working capacity, hosting tables and acting as ambassadors; the board discontinued the plus-one custom in 2025 after a governance committee recommendation.
- Michael Pritchett said a senior Bafta executive refused to provide records identifying complimentary-ticket recipients despite his committee’s terms of reference, adding that members had paid £4.7m in fees the previous year.
Why it matters: Bafta members paid £4.7m in fees the previous year, while the dispute concerns benefits and records approved by their own trustees. Pritchett called for corrected accounts, repayment of money owed and payment of taxes due; Putt said Bafta would pay taxes it was told were due.
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