Oscars Best Picture screw-up: City stalwart is investigating how the award was handed to the wrong film

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Last night's Oscars ceremony took a surprising and extremely awkward turn when the big prize – the Best Picture award – was mistakenly handed to the wrong film.

Stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced that La La Land had won, as was widely expected. The film's producers were midway through their acceptance speeches when Beatty interrupted to announce the prize was actually meant for Moonlight.

And though it may seem unlikely, the blame could be laid at the door of a London-based financial services firm.

PwC has been the ballot counter for the Academy Awards for 83 years, and members of the team who count the votes are famously the only people who know the winners before they're announced at the ceremony.

Last night, PwC partners Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan attended the ceremony, tweeting about the "ballot briefcase" ahead of the big event.

https://twitter.com/briancullinan_/status/835983771232919552

Apology

This morning, a spokesperson for the company said: "We sincerely apologise to Moonlight, La La Land, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture.

"The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred."

We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.

PwC is already under scrutiny for its role as auditor of BHS, with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) announcing an investigation ino the firm last summer. The company was also fined £2.3m by the FRC in connection with its 2007 audit of failed sub-prime lender Cattles.

There was another gaffe during the ceremony's In Memoriam segment, when the wrong photograph was broadcast in tribute to Australian costume designer Janet Patterson – instead of Patterson's photo, a picture of the still-living Jan Chapman was used.