Andy Serkis, 54, was the first to make a dig at Brexit in front of the royal family at the BAFTAs.
He said: “A film’s music. A film without music is like Laurel without Hardy.
“It’s Queen without Freddie Mercury. It’s Britain without Europe.”
The joke, like many others tonight, seemed to fall flat, so Eddie Marsan tried his hand for another jibe.
He said: “You have to be able to create something that has painstaking historical accuracy… which is particularly difficult in the country that has reinvented its past to justify Brexit.”
Viewers were furious that the awards to celebrate films, the cast and crew was “hijacked” by Brexit rants.
One BAFTA fan tweeted: “Shame @andyserkis and @eddiemarsan had to politicise #BAFTA with their smug #Brexit digs.”
“Oh man. Didn’t think I’d see jokes worse than Joanna Lumley’s tonight…until Eddie Marsan made his lame crack about Brexit #BAFTA,” posted another.
A third added: “Even the Brexit jokes are falling flat. Shall we just call it a night? #BAFTAs2019 #Bafta.”
“Can’t these over appreciated luvvies just leave the politics at home? Seriously. #EEBAFTAs #BAFTA #Brexit,” wrote anther.
A fifth said: “The #Bafta people are really droning on about #brexit aren’t they. F**king hell. Let it go.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if a film awards ceremony avoided being political. An hour and 10 mins into #BAFTA and 2 negative mentions of Brexit. Someone tell the luvvies we voted out and we are leaving,” said another.
However, some appreciated the comments made on the delayed awards ceremony.
One viewer tweeted: “@eddiemarsan Britain ‘a country constantly reinventing its past to justify Brexit’ Well put sir. #BAFTA.”
“Just love @eddiemarsan speaking up re the nonsense that is #Brexit at #BAFTA awards. He cares more about UK than almost anyone in the joke that passes for a Parliament down the road in Westminster,” claimed another.
Nominees for the sought-after BAFTA gongs included Olivia Colman, Glenn Close, Viggo Mortensen, Viola Davis, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Steve Coogan, Melissa McCarthy, Sam Rockwell, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, many of whom had to sit through the remarks.
Nominated films included The Favourite, Green Book, Roma, BlacKkKlansman and A Star Is Born.
It comes as many rushed to social media to criticise Joanna’s jokes.
Piers Morgan tweeted: “Jeez, who wrote these jokes for Joanna Lumley? This is a train wreck. #BAFTAs2019.
“This is the future of awards shows, isn’t it? They’ve been ‘woked’ into humourless, PC-enslaved, unctuously sycophantic, excruciatingly boring submission. #BAFTAs2019.”
The BAFTA Awards 2019 is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer now.
