Prince the surprise package at 2015 Golden Globes

Ever since 1944, it’s been the traditional curtain-raiser to awards season, so the Golden Globes have always had the capacity to surprise, and Sunday night down in Beverly Hills was certainly no exception.

In fact, there were shocks even before a ball had been kicked, so to speak. It was feared that the game had been given away in two categories due to a technical hitch on the awards’ official website.

Those connected to Into the Woods and Selma – which were nominated for Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy and Drama categories respectively – must have thought their luck was in, as they were listed as winners prior to the annual shindig. However, come the big night, their hopes were dashed, as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Boyhood ended up the victors – and they say darts is a cruel mistress! Boyhood also scooped the awards for Best Director (Richard Linklater) and Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette), even outdoing Birdman, which had received seven nominations but just lagged behind with an overall haul of two of the big prizes.

It was also a funny old night from a British point of view. Eddie Redmayne went home as Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, while on the TV front, Yorkshire’s very own Joanne Frogatt won the award for Best Supporting Actress in a TV series for her role in Downton Abbey (take a bow!). Not a sausage for one Benedict Cumberbatch though, as both he and The Imitation Game drew a blank, which, as we all know, doesn’t bode well for Oscars night.

Away from the assembly of actors, the two hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, did a pretty steady job, although their lampooning of disgraced comic Bill Cosby was met with a decidedly mixed reaction. The same could not be said of pop’s all-time favourite gnome, the phenomenon that is Prince, whose obviously surprise appearance – he was on hand to present Best Song – caused the entire theatre to go ever so slightly hysterical, as if Beatlemania was enjoying a second coming.

So, the 2015 Golden Globes; unlucky for some, unbelievable for others. We can’t wait to see what 2016 will bring.