Joanna Lumley will return to host the Bafta Film Awards, it has been confirmed. 

The ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ star took charge of the annual ceremony in 2018 when its usual host Stephen Fry announced that he would be stepping down. 

Her return was announced on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon: 

“We are excited to be welcoming back the phenomenal Joanna Lumley as host of the #EEBAFTAS Film Awards @RoyalAlbertHall on 10 February!,” their tweet read. 

Following the announcement, the awards’ director Emma Baehr said: “We’re thrilled that Joanna has agreed to return as our host for a second year, she was fantastic and we’re looking forward to the ceremony with her once again at the helm.”

It’s also been confirmed that the ceremony will feature a special performance from Cirque de Soleil.

When Joanna stepped in last year, she became the first woman to host the event since Mariella Frostrup co-presented with Stephen in 2001. 

Her efforts received mixed reviews from viewers as while many applauded the Joanna’s skills, a number of those watching were left unimpressed, claiming her pre-written jokes fell flat. 

The 2018 event saw most female attendees wear black in support of the Time’s Up movement and winners on the day included ‘I, Tonya’ star Allison Janney and Daniel Kaluuya, who took home the EE Rising Star prize. 

This year’s Film Bafta nominations will be announced next Wednesday (9 January) and ‘The Favourite’ star Olivia Colman is hotly-tipped to be among the nominees.