British-born Christopher Nolan picked up his first BAFTA Award for 'Oppenheimer', raising the hope that he may just finally get an Oscar, an honour that has eluded him despite his masterpieces, notably 'Inception', 'Dunkirk' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'.

Nolan received a standing ovation at the Royal Festival Hall as he collected the award from Hugh Grant.

He started his speech by saying he was back in the hall where his parents used to drag him "for some culture".

He added: "Thank you for taking on something quite dark and seeing the potential in it. This is an incredible honour and I'm very grateful for it."

Earlier, Hugh Grant went up on stage to present the best director award. He got a laugh from the audience with his opening line: "Oompa Loompa Doopadee Dee, now the best director catego-ree."

Grant was playing on his Oompa-Loompa character from 'Wonka', who speaks in rhyme.