Oscars 2021 air date: When the ceremony will take place and how to watch in the UK

Receiving the most nominations out of all the pictures is David Fincher's Mank, which is up for a whopping 10 awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Gary Oldman.

With an exciting evening ahead, here's everything you need to know about the Oscars 2021, how to watch the show and all the nominees.

When are the Oscars 2021?

Th2 93rd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday 25th April 2021. The ceremony would usually take place in late February but it has been postponed. Why? You guessed it! The pandemic.

What time will the Oscars 2021 air?

The ceremony will begin at 8pm Eastern Time – so midnight UK time.

How to watch the Oscars 2021 in the UK

The ceremony will be available on Sky Cinema Oscars and NOW, available to all Sky Cinema subscribers.

If you wish to sign up before the ceremony, it costs £11 a month for existing Sky TV customers or £11.99 a month for a NOW Sky Cinema Pass. Alternatively, you can make use of the NOW seven-day free trial.

Oscars 2021 nominations

The Academy announced the full list of Oscars 2021 nominations in March, with David Fincher's black-and-white drama Mank receiving the most nods this year with a total of 10.

The Best Director category made history on Monday by nominating two women for the first time – Nomadland's Chloe Zhao, who also became the first woman of colour to be nominated, and Promising Young Woman's Emerald Fennell.

For Best Actress nods, Viola Davis picked up her fourth Oscar nomination for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, while Frances McDormand received her seventh (Nomadland) and Carey Mulligan scooped her second (Promising Young Woman).

In the Best Actor category, Chadwick Boseman received posthumous recognition for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom alongside Sound of Metal's Riz Ahmed, The Father's Anthony Hopkins, Steven Yeun's Minari and Gary Oldman's Mank, while newcomer Maria Bakalova received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance in the Borat sequel.

Olivia Colman (The Father), Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy), Amanda Seyfried (Mank), Youn Yuh-jung (Minari), Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Leslie Odom Jr (One Night in Miami), Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) and LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah) were also nominated for in the Best Supporting Actor categories, while The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 are in the running for Best Picture.

Where will the Oscars 2021 take place?

Since 2001, it has been traditional for the Oscars to be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This year, COVID restrictions have forced the Academy to re-think the event, and their solution is for the ceremony to take place in "multiple locations". Could this mean the homes of the A Listers as they broadcast from their living rooms? Or theatres across America?

Well, we are told that one of the locations will be LA's Union Station. Yes, the Oscars will be coming to you from an actual train station, chosen because it's a venue that will allow for social distancing. We're sure they'll put some fairy lights up to make it look pretty.

“In this unique year that has asked so much of so many, the Academy is determined to present an Oscars like none other, while prioritising the public health and safety of all those who will participate," says an Academy spokesperson. "To create the in-person show our global audience wants to see, while adapting to the requirements of the pandemic, the ceremony will broadcast live from multiple locations, including the landmark Dolby Theatre. We look forward to sharing more details soon."

How will the Oscars work this year? Will it be a virtual event?

For the first time, the ceremony is being held in an outdoor courtyard at downtown railway hub Union Station in LA, while viewers have also been promised “additional show elements” broadcast live from the Oscars usual home: the Dolby Theatre.

The producers have said that the hope is for the ceremony to resemble a movie rather than a television show, although exactly what they mean by this is unclear.

Who will host the Oscars 2021?

For the third year running there will not be a single host for this year's ceremony, with "high profile" presenters have been approached to hand out individual awards.

Among those big names forming part of the all-star presenting team are several of last year's winners, including Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Laura Dern, Renée Zellweger and Bong Joon Ho.

Who is tipped to win the Oscars 2021?

The full list of Oscar nominations was released back in March, with the entry rules having been temporarily changed this year to compensate for the fact that most films haven't enjoyed a cinema release.

• For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021

Nomadland – which already has the Golden Globe and the BAFTA to its name – is currently the clear favourite to win, followed by the likes of The Trial of the Chicago 7, Minari and Promising Young Woman.

Meanwhile, Chadwick Boseman and Anthony Hopkins are among the favourites to win Best Actor, while Best Actress looks set to be between Viola Davis, Carey Mulligan and Frances McDormand.

Here is who we think will walk away as an Oscar 2021 winner.

Want more Academy Awards content? Find out who has won the most Oscars, discover how voting works, or take a look at these Oscar winning movies on Netflix.

The Academy Awards will take place on Sunday 25th April. If you’re looking for something to watch in the mean time, check out our TV Guide or visit our Movies hub for all the latest news.