Oscars 2021: timetable, predictions and what to expect

The 93rd Academy Awards have finally arrived - here's what you need to know, when you need to know it by and who (we think) will win the key prizes

Two months late, the Oscars have finally arrived. Covid has wreaked its havoc in the film industry just like everywhere else, with cinema closing, shoots shut down, and cancellations everywhere you look. The awards ceremonies' troubles appear trifling by comparison, but they are emblematic of what a bizarre year it has been.

The nominations themselves, though filled with excellent and interesting films, will always have a year of the asterisk" feeling: with so many blockbuster and awards-bait films put off until cinemas can properly reopen, there's a sneaking sensation that the line-up is not all it could have been. Maybe the near-total absence of significant commercial success in Hollywood is going to have a subliminal effect; it certainly looks like it will ensure the TV audience will be the lowest ever.