Tonight is one of the biggest nights in the film calendar, with Hollywood’s finest gathering at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 98th Academy Awards. If you’re planning to stay up and watch from the UK, here’s everything you need to know before the ceremony gets underway.
When it starts and how to watch in the UK
The main ceremony kicks off at midnight UK time, which is 7pm Eastern Time in the US. ITV’s pre-Oscars coverage starts earlier at 10.15pm, with live footage from the red carpet arrivals hosted by Good Morning Britain’s Ross King. Jonathan Ross then takes over to host ITV’s live ceremony coverage, joined by a panel including Elle Osili Wood, Samson Kayo and Fred Asquith to talk through the night as it unfolds. The show is expected to run until around 2.35am UK time, so it’s a commitment if you’re planning to see it through to the final award. For the third year running, it’s completely free to watch — live on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX, or on STV and the STV Player if you’re in Central or Northern Scotland.
Who’s hosting and what to expect
@rteoneConan O’Brien hosts the #Oscars2026 from the Dolby Theatre this Sunday, with live coverage on RTÉ One & RTÉ Player from 11pm 🌟 Catch all the highlights from The 98th Academy Awards on Monday from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 & RTÉ Player 🙌♬ original sound – RTÉ One
Conan O’Brien returns as host for the second consecutive year, having taken over from Jimmy Kimmel in 2025 to widespread approval. He’s been fairly tight-lipped about what tonight’s show has in store, but has promised audiences a lot of magic and hinted that he’s planning to step things up from last year. Given how well-received his first stint was, expectations going in are reasonably high. The ceremony also marks the debut of a brand new Oscar category this year: Best Casting. It’s the first new competitive award introduced since Best Animated Feature back in 2001, and a long overdue recognition for the casting directors who play a fundamental role in how a film comes together.
The films and the key races
Ryan Coogler’s supernatural horror film Sinners is the dominant story of this awards season, pulling in a record-breaking 16 nominations, which is the most in Oscar history, surpassing the previous record of 14. Behind it, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another picked up 13 nominations, followed by Sentimental Value, Frankenstein and Marty Supreme with nine each, and Hamnet with eight. Best Picture is genuinely too close to call between Sinners and One Battle After Another, and most predictions have been going back and forth between the two right up to tonight.
In the acting categories, Best Actor looks like Michael B. Jordan’s to lose for his dual role in Sinners, with Gold Derby giving him around a 67% chance of winning. Timothée Chalamet is the other name in the conversation, picking up his third Oscar nomination for Marty Supreme, though he’s considered a fairly distant second in the predictions. Best Actress is considerably more open, with Jessie Buckley for Hamnet and Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value both generating strong momentum alongside Emma Stone, who is going for what would be her third Oscar win for Bugonia. Best Director features Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloe Zhao, Josh Safdie and Joachim Trier. It’s one of the stronger fields the category has seen in recent years.
Full list of nominees
Best picture
Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, Train Dreams
Best director
Chloe Zhao (Hamnet), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Best actor
@bbcnews Timothée Chalamet is nominated for best actor for his role in Marty Supreme. #TimothéeChalamet #Opera #Ballet #Oscars #USNews #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News
Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)
Best actress
@skynews Ahead of the Oscars on Sunday, Irish actress Jessie Buckley is the favourite to win the award for best actress. Sky’s arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer takes a look back at her rise to fame. #JessieBuckley #Oscars #Film #Arts ♬ original sound – Sky News
Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Emma Stone (Bugonia)
Best supporting actor
Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Sean Penn (One Battle After Another), Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
Best supporting actress
Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)
Best animated film
Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, Zootopia 2
Best international feature
The Secret Agent, It Was Just An Accident, Sentimental Value, Sirāt, The Voice of Hind Rajab
Best documentary
The Alabama Solution, Come See Me In the Good Light, Cutting Through Rocks, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, The Perfect Neighbor
Best original screenplay
Blue Moon, It Was Just An Accident, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Sinners
Best adapted screenplay
Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Train Dreams
Best cinematography
Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams
Best original score
Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Sinners
Best original song
Dear Me (Diane Warren: Relentless), Golden (KPop Demon Hunters), Highest 2 Lowest, I Lied To You (Sinners), Sweet Dreams of Joy (Viva Verdi!), Train Dreams
Best costume design
@avatarFor Avatar: Fire and Ash, Academy Award–winning costume designer Deborah Scott worked with Lightstorm Entertainment and the master artisans of Wētā Workshop to build every costume in real life—down to the smallest bead and stitch. This commitment to physical craftsmanship paired with technological innovation was essential to achieving the extraordinary realism seen on screen. Lightstorm Entertainment was honored to present these meticulously crafted designs at Disney’s Avatar: Fire and Ash exhibit. Explore the highlights here. Experience Avatar: Fire and Ash, now playing only in theatres.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sinners
Best editing
F1, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners
Best makeup and hair
Frankenstein, Kokuho, Sinners, The Smashing Machine, The Ugly Stepsister
Best production design
Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners
Best sound
F1, Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Sirāt
Best visual effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, Sinners
Best casting
Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sinners
Whether you’re staying up for the full show or setting an alarm to check the results in the morning, tonight has all the ingredients for a memorable ceremony. Sinners breaking the nominations record, a genuinely unpredictable Best Picture race, a stacked acting lineup and a new category making its debut for the first time in over two decades all add up to an Oscars that feels worth paying attention to. Coverage starts on ITV1 at 10.15pm, and the main event gets underway at midnight.
