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Oscars 2020: When are the Academy Awards on TV and how to watch the ceremony in the UK

The Academy Awards take place on February 9 - WireImage
The Academy Awards take place on February 9 - WireImage

It's the glitziest night of the film calendar – the Oscars! Here's everything you need to know about this year's award ceremony.

Where and when are the Oscars?

The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday February 9, at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles.

What time are the Oscars?

The stars will start arriving on the red carpet from 10pm, while the  ceremony itself will kick off at around 1am (GMT).

How can I watch the Oscars on TV in the UK?

In the UK, the ceremony will be broadcast on Sky Cinema, with red carpet coverage beginning at 10pm, and the ceremony itself starting around 1am GMT. If you do not subscribe to Sky, it is possible to sign up with NOW TV for a free 7 day trial of their Sky Cinema pass.

How can I watch the red carpet online?

Oscars All Access: Red Carpet Live, the official red carpet preview show featuring interviews with stars as they arrive outside the Dolby Theatre, will be streamed online via the Academy's Twitter account from 11.30pm.

Who are the nominees?

Todd Phillips's disturbing and timely thriller Joker, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Batman villain, and Quentin Tarantino's sun-soaked love letter to 1960s movie making, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood lead this year's Oscar nominations pack, with 10 and nine nominations respectively. Close on their heels is 1917, Sam Mendes' technically brilliant war epic, which is up for eight nominations.

They are joined in the Best Picture category by Little Women, Greta Gerwig's (who herself controversially missed out on a Best Director nomination) emotionally-wrought and visually-stunning adaptation of Louis May Alcott's classic coming-of-age novel; her partner Noah Baumbach's hilarious and raw divorce film Marriage Story;  Taika Waititi's satirical Nazi comedy Jojo Rabbit; Ford vs Ferarri (to be released in the UK as Le Mans ’66); and Parasite, a blood-spattered social satire from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, which could be the first ever foreign language film to win the most prestigious category.

Read the full list of nominees here.

Joaquin Pheonix is tipped for Best Actor for his performance in Joker - Credit: Niko Tavernise
Joaquin Pheonix is tipped for Best Actor for his performance in Joker Credit: Niko Tavernise

Who will win?

Unknowable until the night, but Sam Mendes will take confidence from the fact that 1917 already beat the competition at the Golden Globes for Best Picture. Two giants of old Hollywood, Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) and Quentin Tarantino will battle it out for Best Director, while Joaquin Phoenix's devastating and disturbing performance in Joker is the bookies' firm favourite, but with a possible challenge from Adam Driver's heartbroken turn in Marriage Story.

Who will host the awards?

Nobody. The 92nd Awards will follow in the footsteps of the 91st, which was the first in 30 years to not have a presenter.

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart was originally booked to host last year, but stepped down after a public backlash over homophobic messages he had posted on Twitter. In recent years, the show had been hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Rock and Neil Patrick Harris.

In 2019 a varied line-up of guests proved a breath of fresh air – particularly the comic trio of Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler. With the right stage management and engaging musical performances, a host-less Oscars can deliver half the drama but double the entertainment.