Fry nervous about hosting Baftas

Thursday February 1

Stephen Fry says he is looking forward to hosting this year's Orange British Academy Film Awards.He will preside over the ceremony being held in London on February 25. But speaking at the announcement of the nominations, he admitted he would be nervous.

"Of course one doesn't want to make an arse of oneself," he said. "One of the reasons I have never consented in the past to hosting the awards is because they were set in dining rooms. "It's a total nightmare. People are drinking, eating, falling all over the place, table-hopping, looking the wrong way and squeaking their chair. "I think the important thing to me is to provide a reasonably amusing and also efficient and authoritative presence so nobody feels lost or embarrassed," said Fry, who will be joined at the ceremony by Mariella Frostrup.

He said there was a healthy British flavour to the movies nominated for this year's awards. "Almost every American film nominated has a British connection," he said. "Erin Brockovich would be infinitely poorer without the presence of Albert Finney." Fry described Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as "remarkable" but said he was worried he would get the name wrong. And he added: "I loved Erin Brockovich and Gladiator and I was awash with tears at Billy Elliot."