When are the Baftas?

This year's Baftas take place on 10 February 2019. The ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall will be hosted by Joanna Lumley and broadcast – about 90 minutes after it actually happens – on BBC ONE.

Who votes for the Baftas?

The Baftas are voted for by around 6,500 members of the British Film and Television Academy. These are industry workers who have to apply for membership – and pay an annual subscription of £450. Each category in the shortlists is decided by a chapter of around 100 specialists in that area. Once the shortlists are announced, all voters can have their say. If they haven't seen a particular film, they are supposed to abstain from voting in that category – but this is unenforced.

Why do they matter?

The Baftas matter on their own terms, third only to the Golden Globes and the Oscars as prestige gongs. A Bafta win adds critical kudos – and, hopefully, box office – to a film, as well as credibility to an individual's career. They also matter because of their proximity to the Oscars. Until 2001, the Baftas took place in April or May, but since the move to about a fortnight before the Academy Awards, their importance increased. This is because voting for the Oscars closes a few days after the Baftas, meaning it's the final chance for candidates to impress with their speeches - or for Oscar voters to seek to redress apparent miscarriages of justice. The Bafta and Oscar voting bases overlap considerably, too: around 500 people are thought to vote for both.

So do the big winners generally mirror each other?

Not necessarily. A recent survey found the Baftas were only the fourth best Oscars bellwether – after the DGA, PGA and SAG awards. Since 2001, they've predicted the best picture winner eight times out of a possible 17, diverging the past four years running, opting for Three Billboards over The Shape of Water, La La Land over Moonlight, The Revenant over Spotlight and Boyhood over Birdman. Their form is stronger when it comes to the acting categories, though they do consistently favour homegrown talent.

What do winners actually get?

A big bronze mask on a marble base, which Bafta reserves the right to buy back for £1 should the recipient give it to anyone other than their children. Plus a certificate, with which the winner can do what they like.