# Bafta trustees face legal questions over complimentary awards tickets

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bafta-trustees-may-have-broken-charity-law-by-accepting-free-guest-tickets/
- Published: 2026-10-28T11:44:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T12:18:06+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/oct/28/bafta-trustees-charity-law-accepting-free-guest-tickets
- Topics: Business, Companies, Culture, Cybersecurity, Technology

## Key points

- Bafta’s membership council chair alleges trustees may have breached the law over guest tickets.
- A film awards guest seat was priced at £2,000.
- Bafta ended the practice in 2025 and is reviewing past arrangements.

## Summary

Bafta trustees may have breached charity and company law by accepting complimentary guest tickets to the organisation’s awards ceremonies, according to Michael Pritchett, chair of its membership council. He said legal advice he commissioned suggested offences may have been committed by trustees who approved accounts stating they received no benefits.

Pritchett said trustees had been offered top-table seats for guests, including at the film awards, where a second ticket was priced at £2,000. He also raised possible tax and National Insurance liabilities dating back to 2016 and called for any sums due to be repaid and accounts corrected. Bafta ended the guest-ticket practice in 2025 and says an independent review of the historic arrangement is under way; its chair said the board would pay taxes if required.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.