Summary

  1. 'What a night': A history-making, record-breaking Oscarspublished at 10:14 GMT

    Jack Grey
    Live reporter

    Jessie Buckley and Michael B Jordan holding their Oscars and laughing.Image source, Reuters

    It's just about to hit 03:30 in LA, where the Oscars after parties are just getting going.

    It's been a year of firsts, including first ever female best cinematographer, first awarding of a casting Oscar and first Irish best actress winner.

    The big winner was One Battle After Another and its director Paul Thomas Anderson, with the film winning six awards and Anderson bagging three of them.

    Sinners entered this year's Oscars with a record-breaking number of nominations, 16, and won four of them.

    And, we saw the first tie since 2013, with best live action short being awarded jointly to The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva.

    That's a wrap from us, but across the BBC we've got the fashion, winners and unseen moments recapped, and a full write up of the night.

    In the words of Anderson: "What a night you guys, let's have a Martini."

  2. The 2026 Oscars speechespublished at 10:02 GMT

    Madigan accepting OscarImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Amy Madigan said she was a left a little 'flummoxed' by her Oscars win

    It’s the biggest speech in an actor’s career, the moment they’ve all run through in their heads more times than they’ll admit, so what did we hear at the 2026 Oscars acceptance speeches?

    "I was in the shower last night trying to think of something to say when I was shaving my legs... but I have pants on so didn't need to worry about that," joked supporting actress winner Amy Madigan in the first speech of the night.

    "As you can tell, I'm a little flummoxed," before paying tribute to her fellow nominees and her family including fellow actor husband Ed Harris before leaving the stage tearfully.

    KPop Demon Hunters' winnerMaggie Kang apologised to "people that look like me" that it "took us so long to see us in a move like this".

    "But it is here, and that means the next generations don't have to go longing, this is for Korea and Koreans everywhere."

    KPop Demon Hunters' winners with their oscarsImage source, Getty Images

    Jessie Buckley dedicated her win to the "beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart" during her acceptance for best actress.

    Thanking the "incredible women I stand beside" - her fellow nominees - she said: "I am inspired by your heart and I want to work with every single one of you."

    Michael B Jordan told the crowd that he was standing on the Oscars stage because of the "people that came before me".

    "Sydney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Fox, Forest Whittaker, Will Smith," he lists. "To be amongst those giants, amongst those greats… thank you everybody… I feel it."

    In one of three speeches from Paul Thomas Anderson, this time for best film, he lists the 1975 best picture nominees, including Jaws, Dog Day Afternoon and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

    "There is no best among them, there's just a mood that day. We're just happy to be part of this. So many great films this year," he said.

  3. Little coverage of Mr Nobody Against Putin's Oscars success in Russian mediapublished at 09:31 GMT

    Steve Rosenberg
    Russia editor

    Russian teacher Pavel Talankin hoists his Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film, smiling.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Mr Nobody Against Putin centres on Russian teacher Pavel Talankin - here he is celebrating the BBC documentary's Oscars win

    The Oscars success for Mr Nobody Against Putin has received little coverage in the Russian media.

    The documentary is Pavel Talankin’s record of his time as a primary school teacher in Russia and the indoctrination of pupils in support of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

    Russian news outlet Kommersant did report that Mr Nobody Against Putin won best documentary but describes it simply as a film about “how the teaching process changed after the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.”

    Kommersant did, however, quote from Pavel Talankin’s Oscars acceptance speech:

    "In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now."

    The RBK business news outlet mentioned it, too, but only as a film about “changes in a Russian school, since the start of the military operation in Ukraine.”

    Ultra pro-Kremlin news outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda published what it referred to as "a full list of Oscar winners 2026."

    But Mr Nobody Against Putin wasn’t in it.

    The Kremlin had little to say about the Oscars success of Mr Nobody Against Putin.

    "I couldn’t comment, because I haven’t seen the film," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists today. "First I’d need to know what it’s about."

  4. Backstage at the Oscars - what we've heardpublished at 09:20 GMT

    Autumn Durald ArkapawImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Autumn Durald Arkapaw

    'This will change so many girls' lives' - Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman to win best cinematographer at the Oscars, told us that "a lot of little girls that look like me will sleep really well tonight" following her win.

    "This isn't about me anymore. This is about so much more, and I know that. And I wanted it for all the ladies in the room, and I wanted it for all the girls," she added.

    More focus needed on Uncle James- Speaking to the BBC backstage, Sinners director Ryan Coogler says he hasn't spoken about his late Uncle James enough during the event.

    "I'm so proud that he gave me the gift of his stories about Mississippi, that he played blues music for me and talked to me about it, and he continues to give me gifts from where he is now," he said.

    Ryan Coogler and Robert Downey Jr. attend the 98th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Ryan Coogler (left) with Robert Downey Jr

    'I thought we were supposed to be partying' - Paul Thomas Anderson said when asked backstage about what One Battle After Another's best picture win could say about the sign of the times.

    He did, however, go on to say there's a "certain amount of parallel" to his film and "what's happening in the world", and that he would like to "bring at least common sense and decency back into fashion".

  5. 'Keep partying, that's what I'm going to do,' Jessie Buckley says after historic winpublished at 09:07 GMT

    Jessie Buckley, who wears a red and pink gown, jubilantly holds her Oscar with hold hands while standing in front of the word 'Oscars' on a brown wall.Image source, Reuters

    Jessie Buckley, the first Irish woman to win best actress at the Oscars, has delivered a message for those watching at home: "Don't go to bed. Keep partying. That's what I'm going to do."

    The Hamnet star told RTE during the ceremony she was grateful for the support she had received, adding, "I feel the love, man. I feel it."

    "I feel it from young people and old people, from women and men and from my family, and to be here tonight with all my family who've literally flown in from New Zealand and Australia and Kerry and Dublin, that makes it real.

    "They're the people who built me and to share this moment with them and know that back home (they) are either drunk or staying up, I'm delighted for us all."

  6. The Oscars moments you didn't see on TVpublished at 08:57 GMT

    Nardine Saad
    at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood

    Jeong Hoon Seo, Mark Sonnenblick, EJAE, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee , winners of the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters".Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The musicians and songwriters behind Golden in KPop Demon Hunters won big for best original song. But during their speech, they were cut off

    Movie magic is at the heart of Tinseltown's biggest night, but not everything at the Oscars plays out on screen:

    Beefed-up security

    Authorities in Los Angeles enhanced this year's security due to the US and Israel's war in Iran. Preparations included layered security perimeters, traffic management plans, and a highly visible police presence throughout the Hollywood area.

    A scramble following Oscars tie

    The Academy Awards are nearly 100 years old but only a handful of times in that storied history has there been a tie for an award. This year marked the latest time with best short action film, which was awarded to both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva, and there was a scramble as reporters made a beeline to get confirmation.

    The rest of that KPop Demon Hunters speech

    The Oscars are fairly famous for cutting off speeches when they go too long. During their speech, the musicians and songwriters behind Golden were cut off, so backstage, they got to share more of their thoughts you didn't hear on TV, including thanking their families, and singers Audry Nuna and Rei Ami.

    A security officer with a dog on the red carpet, next to the 'Oscars' sign.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Security preparations included layered perimeters, traffic management plans, and a highly visible police presence throughout the Hollywood area

  7. 'I don't know how Anderson will fare on dancefloor with three heavy Oscars' - Amelia Dimoldenbergpublished at 08:50 GMT

    Media caption,

    Amelia Dimoldenberg on the challenge of dancing with Oscars statuette

    Chicken Shop Date's Amelia Dimoldenberg tells us she's worried that the weight of Paul Thomas Anderson's three Oscars may get in the way of his dancing ability at the after party.

    Anderson's film One Battle After Another won six awards in total, but he was personally named as the winner of three: best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay.

    "It's crazy that Paul Thomas Anderson hasn't won an Oscar before," she says on the Vanity Fair after party red carpet. "I'm really happy for him that he's got multiple now."

    "But they are very heavy, so I don't know what it's going to be like dancing with those Oscars on the dancefloor," she adds.

  8. Oscars 2026: A look back at Hollywood's biggest nightpublished at 08:25 GMT

    Jack Grey
    Live reporter

    While the Vanity Fair after party continues, here's a look back at the 2026 Oscars:

    The big winners

    • One Battle After Another took home six Oscars including best picture and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson
    • Michael B Jordan came out top in the best actor category for his performance in Ryan Coogler's Sinners
    • Sinners, which entered the 98th Academy Awards as the most Oscar-nominated film in history - competing in 16 categories - won four: screenplay, score, actor and cinematography

    Historic firsts

    • Hamnet's Jessie Buckley became the first Irish woman to win a best actress Oscar
    • Sinners' Autumn Durald Arkapaw made historyas the first woman to take home the cinematography award

    "It's a tie, I'm not joking, it's actually a tie"

    • These were the words of comedian Kumail Nanjiani announcing the winners of best short live action film.The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva received the same amount of votes, making the award a tie, for just the seventh time in Oscars history

    Who missed out?

    • Timothée Chalamet missed out on a win at this year's Oscars. He was fabulous in Marty Supreme, but what people are saying is that Academy voters have a history of making young male actors wait for their big moment, our culture editor writes

    How to catch up across the BBC

  9. How best make-up winner Mike Hill turned clay from a Warrington canal into Oscars goldpublished at 07:55 GMT

    Colin Paterson
    Entertainment Correspondent, reporting from the Oscars

    Mike Hill at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026Image source, Getty Images

    Mike Hill is part of the team which has just won best make-up and hairstyling for Frankenstein. Growing up in the north of England in the 1970s, watching black and white horror films on the BBC made him fall in love with monsters.

    When I went to visit him in his Hollywood workshop he told me: "When I was about five years old, I used to walk to the canal, and I would dig under the dirt to get to the clay.

    "I'd wash the clay and put it on slabs in the back garden to dry it out, because I couldn't afford plasticine. I would make a menagerie of these creatures, the Frankensteins, the King Kongs, the Wolfmen."

    In his 20s his talents were spotted by British TV personality Jeremy Beadle, who recruited him to make him disguises for the massively successful hidden camera TV show Beadle’s About.

    "It was a great job to dress him up as an old man or a heavy-set person and fool the public," he reminisces.

    Then in his mid 30s Hill moved to the US with nothing more than $1000 and a suitcase, because his full-sized monster statues had found an audience there.

    Guillermo Del Torro bought a giant Boris Karloff Frankenstein from him, became a regular customer and then, starting with The Shape of Water, he used Hill to create creatures for his films.

    And now an Oscars’ win for Frankenstein - a real British success story. "From the canal bank to Hollywood," he muses while shaking his head. "It's only when I hear you say it, that it really amplifies everything."

  10. Best documentary winner Borenstein says it's 'unbelievable' to be at Oscarspublished at 07:42 GMT

    Best documentary winner David Borenstein tells the BBC it is "unbelievable" to have made it this far.

    He says his film, Mr Nobody Against Putin, was made over the course of two-and-a-half years undercover in a school in Russia and "felt like it was going to fall apart so many times".

    "We are so happy to be here tonight," he adds.

    The BBC documentary charts the story of what happened after Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

    He also speaks about his political speech on stage, saying "it was really important to do it".

    Media caption,

    Putin documentary winner on being political on Oscars night

  11. 'Anything by UB40': Oscars host Conan on his after party dancefloor pickpublished at 07:10 GMT

    Oscar's host Conan O'Brien has been speaking to the BBC's Colin Paterson on the red carpet of Vanity Fair's Oscars after party.

    Asked what track will get him on the dancefloor tonight, O'Brien says "oh come on, anything by UB40".

    "I just came up with that, I can't even think of any of their songs right now," he adds.

  12. One Battle After Another comes out on top at Oscars - what did it win?published at 07:02 GMT

    Cast and makers on One Battle After Another on stage at the Oscars.Image source, Getty Images

    The big winner of the night was One Battle After Another, taking home six of its 13 nominations, more than any other film - they were:

    • Best picture - Paul Thomas Anderson, Sara Murphy, Adam Somner
    • Best director - Paul Thomas Anderson
    • Best supporting actor - Sean Penn
    • Adapted screenplay - Paul Thomas Anderson
    • Film editing - Andy Jurgensen
    • Casting - Cassandra Kulukundis
  13. Heated Rivalry stars join celebs at Vanity Fair partypublished at 06:45 GMT

    The party is still going on, with more celebrities continuing to arrive. Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have made their entrance.

    Demi Moore, Odessa A'zion and Anya Taylor-Joy have also been pictured at the entrance to the Vanity Fair party.

    Connor Storrie and Hudson WilliamsImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams

    Demi MooreImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Demi Moore

    Odessa A'zionImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Odessa A'zion

    Anya Taylor-JoyImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Anya Taylor-Joy

  14. 'Extraordinary' win for Sinners cinematographer Arkapaw, Ava DuVernay sayspublished at 06:26 GMT

    On the red carpet at the Vanity Fair party, American filmmaker and screenwriter Ava DuVernay praised Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw.

    Arkapaw, who won the Academy Award for her work on the film Sinners, has made history as the first woman to take home the accolade.

  15. Who were the big winners on Oscars night?published at 06:01 GMT

    Jessie Buckley and Michael B. Jordan at the Governors BallImage source, FilmMagic via Getty Images

    It's an evening of stars, fashion and childhood dreams come true.

    Let's have a look at some of the biggest wins tonight.

    Taking out best picture was dark comedy action thrillerOne Battle After Another which also bagged the best director gong for Paul Thomas Anderson, who has been nominated in the category three times before finally winning.

    Best actor went to Michael B Jordan for his star turns - he played twins - in vampire horror film Sinners, which made history as the most nominated movie in Oscars history with recognition in 16 categories.

    Also making history was Jessie Buckley who became the first Irish star to win best actress, with her powerful portrayal of William Shakespeare's wife in Hamnet.

    Veteran actor Sean Penn won best supporting actor for his role as unpredictable villain Colonel Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, but wasn't at the ceremony to collect the golden statue.

    Fellow veteran Amy Madigan, who was first nominated for an Oscar 40 years ago, took home the best supporting actress category with her role as the terrifying Aunt Gladys in horror film Weapons.

    Ryan Coogler won best screenplay for his Sinners script which he wrote in just two months while the best adapted screenplay went to One Battle After Another, which was adapted by Paul Thomas Anderson from Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland.

  16. Some KPDH fans unhappy about onstage speech cutpublished at 05:55 GMT

    South Korean-US singer Ejae holds the Oscar for Best Music (Original Song) for "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" with Jeong Hoon Seo (L), US songwriter Mark Sonnenblick (2L), Hee Dong Nam (2R) and Yu Han LeeImage source, AFP via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Yu-han Lee (R) was cut off mid-speech on stage

    Although it is an Oscars tradition to cut speeches short with music when they run overtime, what happened tonight with the songwriters of the Netflix hit Kpop Demon Hunters still caused some uproar online.

    After winning best original song, only EJAE managed to deliver her speech. When composer Yu-han Lee began reading his, the music started playing and the show went to a commercial break, despite the group raising their hands together on stage to plead for more time.

    On X, some users called it “sad and disrespectful”. “The orchestra has more screen time tonight than half the winners do,” one angry fan wrote. “Historic moment treated so poorly,” another said.

    The group did get some time backstage to finish their speeches. “I would like to thank our families... this is an incredible honour,” he added in the press room.

  17. 'We are true storytellers': Barry Keoghan praises fellow Irish actor Jessie Buckleypublished at 05:51 GMT

    Barry Keoghan speaking to BBC reporter on the red carpet

    Barry Keoghan has praised fellow Irish actor Jessie Buckley for her Oscar-winning performance in Hamnet.

    "What’s up Jessie, well done, bring it home," he tells the BBC's Colin Paterson on the Vanity Fair red carpet.

    "I’m proud, I’m really really proud, amazing," he says.

    On the amount of success Irish actors have seen, Keoghan says "when you read all the names that have been nominated, for such a small island... we are true storytellers".

    “I am massively, massively proud of Jessie. I went to see Hamnet at the premiere and I couldn’t stop crying," he adds.

    “When it was finished I had to rush out because I couldn’t stop thinking of my little boy, everyone was sobbing."

  18. First casting winner Cassandra Kulukundis has a long history with Paul Thomas Andersonpublished at 05:37 GMT

    Katie Razzall
    Culture editor

    L-R: One Battle After Another's Cassandra Kulukundis, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Thomas Anderson and Julia CunninghamImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    L-R: One Battle After Another's Cassandra Kulukundis, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Thomas Anderson and Julia Cunningham

    The winner of the first Oscar for casting Cassandra Kulukundis has worked with director Paul Thomas Anderson on every one of his movies since she interned on his first, Hard Eight, more than 30 years ago.

    She told me before the Oscars: “I’m the only person who can say I have been on all of them - apart from him”.

    Their latest collaboration is best picture winner One Battle After Another.

    “Paul has been working at this for so long, it’s his 10th movie," she says adding that despite all his nominations he's "won nothing".

    Now he’s won best director, best adapted screenplay and best picture.

    “This movie has affected so many people on so many levels. Paul’s been seen as a young upstart for so long. He’s in his 50s, he’s an incredibly creative human being and nobody is making movies like him”.

  19. Misty Copeland swaps her ballet shoes for very high heels after Sinners performancepublished at 05:22 GMT

    Helen Bushby
    Culture reporter

    Misty Copeland in a long black, sleeveless dress with cut-outs on her torsoImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Misty Copeland

    Misty Copeland, who performed during the ceremony to the song from Sinners, I Lied To You, has changed from her ballet costume into a close-fitting black dress, at the Vanity Fair party.

    Actress Isla Fisher was also there, along with former Oscars host Chris Rock and Vogue's Anna Wintour.

    Isla Fisher in a white long dressImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Isla Fisher

    Chris Rock in a black suitImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Chris Rock

    Anna Wintour in a cream dress with orange flowers and a long, green jacket and sunglassesImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Anna Wintour

  20. Paul Thomas Anderson backstage says he wants to partypublished at 05:12 GMT

    Nardine Saad
    at the Oscars

    A man, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a black suit and tie, holding an Oscar award.Image source, Reuters

    When asked about his best picture win being a sign of the times, One Battle After Another director and writer Paul Thomas Anderson reflected on what it all means - although, he initially wanted to celebrate rather than talk about bleaker topics.

    "I thought we were supposed to be partying," he quips, before striking a more serious note.

    "Our film obviously has a certain amount of parallel to what's happening in the news every day, so it obviously reflects what's happening in the world in terms of where it's going," he says, appearing to refer to the divisive political climate in the US, anti-immigration sentiments and racial issues from his dark satire.

    "I don't know, but I know that the end of our movie is our hero heading off to continue to fight against evil forces. And I think, like I said in my speech, bring at least common sense and decency back into fashion."