The red carpet at the Bafta film awards is expected to turn black on Sunday as stars opt for dark outfits in support of Time’s Up.

Nominees and guests are expected to follow the lead set at the Golden Globes in January and adopt an all-black dress code following a campaign in the wake of the industry’s sexual assault scandal.

It is understood Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Emma Watson, Zawe Ashton, Daisy Ridley, Emilia Clarke and Jodie Whittaker are involved in the high-profile move.

Emma ThompsonEmma Thompson (Matt Crossick/PA)

The Shape Of Water leads the nominations at the ceremony with 12 nods including best film.

British talent dominates the leading actor category, with four out of the possible five nominations.

Gary Oldman, whose portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour earned him a Golden Globe, will take on Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Jamie Bell (Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool), as well as US actor Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name).

Gary Oldman as Winston ChurchillGary Oldman as Churchill (Universal)

The Bafta best director category boasts an all-male line-up, including British filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Martin McDonagh, who are nominated for their movies Dunkirk and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Also nominated in the category are Luca Guadagnino for Call Me By Your Name, Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape Of Water and Denis Villeneuve for Blade Runner 2049.

Notably absent from the category is Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig, whose film has picked up other nominations.

For the Bafta leading actress category, Sally Hawkins is the only Briton to receive a nod for her turn in The Shape Of Water.

Sally HawkinsSally Hawkins (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

She will take on Irish actress Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird, Annette Bening for Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Margot Robbie for I, Tonya.

The ceremony will also have a new host this year, when Joanna Lumley takes over from Stephen Fry.

Joanna LumleyJoanna Lumley will host the ceremony (Ian West/PA)

Last month US news site Deadline posted a copy of a letter backed by some of the UK’s biggest female stars, which was circulated around attendees of the EE British Academy of Film and Television Arts film awards.

The letter calls for stars to “continue the incredible movement this side of the Atlantic” and says wearing black is a “strong, unifying and simple statement” which supports people who have experienced sexual harassment and abuse or been held back due to an imbalance of power.

“We hope that those of us who are privileged enough to have a platform, can use it to raise awareness of the experiences of women beyond our industry, whose experiences are often silenced and marginalised,” the letter reads.

It promises some “exciting plans” and tells men there are plans for special pins or a buttonhole.

It also invited attendees to bring a women’s rights campaigner with them to the awards – another gesture performed by a number of stars at the Golden Globes.

The red carpet at the Los Angeles ceremony was flooded with black designer outfits as actresses raised awareness against sexual harassment and supported the Time’s Up movement for gender equality.

Bafta has worked in partnership with the British Film Institute to develop a new set of principles and guidelines aimed at tackling harassment and bullying in the film, television and games industry.

The set of eight principles have been developed in consultation with unions including Equity and industry member bodies and agencies such as Women in Film & TV, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and UK Screen Alliance, as well as employees and freelancers working across all aspects of the industry.

The principles outline a shared responsibility to respect others, adopt a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment, adhere to the laws around equality and health and safety, protect victims and witnesses, respect confidentiality, ensure that rigorous processes are in place for reporting and underline the value of inclusivity.

The Baftas will be handed out at the Royal Albert Hall on February 18.