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Labour MP Dawn Butler has formally requested an urgent explanation from the BBC regarding the broadcast of a racial slur during the Bafta Film Awards held on Sunday. The incident involved John Davidson, a guest with Tourette syndrome and the inspiration behind the film *I Swear*, who uttered the slur aloud while two prominent Black actors, Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan, were on stage. Despite the event being aired with a two-hour delay, the slur was not edited out before transmission, prompting Butler to condemn the BBC’s handling as “painful and unforgivable.”
A BBC spokesperson acknowledged the issue on Monday, apologizing for the failure to remove the offensive language ahead of the broadcast. They confirmed the segment containing the slur had since been excised from the version available on BBC iPlayer. However, the BBC also explained that producers overseeing the event from a TV truck did not hear the word during the ceremony. While several other instances of inappropriate language were successfully cut, this specific outburst was missed. The ceremony itself started at 17:00 GMT, two hours prior to the TV broadcast, making it theoretically possible to censor in post-production.
In addition to the racial slur controversy, Butler raised concerns about the editing of Bafta winner Akinola Davies Jr’s acceptance speech. Davies Jr., who accepted the prize for best debut by a British writer, director, or producer for *My Father’s Shadow*, had his original speech, which included the phrases “Free Palestine” and references to the importance of migrant stories, significantly shortened for television due to time constraints. The BBC stated that similar edits were made to other speeches to meet broadcast time limits, with full versions available on Bafta’s YouTube channel. Butler pressed the BBC for clarity on the conflicting decisions to remove Davies Jr’s remarks while the offensive language remained initially unfiltered, also requesting details on the decision-making and editorial process prior to the delayed broadcast.
Meanwhile, Jonte Richardson, a member of the Bafta emerging talent judging panel, resigned following the controversy. He criticized Bafta’s management of the incident as “utterly unforgivable,” expressing his unwillingness to continue supporting an organisation he felt consistently failed to protect the dignity of Black creatives and guests. Bafta issued a public apology, acknowledging the harm caused particularly to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, and thanked Davidson for his conduct on what should have been a celebratory night. The BBC added that the offensive outburst was an involuntary verbal tic related to Davidson’s Tourette syndrome, emphasizing it was not intentional, though they declined to provide further comment on the initial broadcast oversight.
John Davidson, who was awarded an MBE in 2019 for his Tourette’s activism, expressed deep regret if his involuntary tics were misunderstood as intentional or meaningful. He stressed his lifelong commitment to advocating for the Tourette’s community and educating others about empathy and understanding. During the ceremony, host Alan Cumming addressed the incident by acknowledging the nature of Davidson’s condition and apologizing to viewers who might have been offended. Robert Aramayo, the actor who portrayed Davidson in *I Swear*, reinforced this message, emphasizing that Tourette’s tics are beyond the individual’s control and expressing hope that the incident might foster greater awareness and understanding of the condition
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