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The BBC has acknowledged that broadcasting a racial slur uttered by a guest with Tourette syndrome during the Bafta Film Awards was a “serious mistake.” The guest, John Davidson, who lives with Tourette’s and experiences involuntary verbal tics, shouted the offensive word during the ceremony while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award. Following the incident, a BBC spokesperson confirmed that the corporation has been reviewing the circumstances and that the director-general has ordered the Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) to conduct an expedited investigation and provide a full response to those who lodged complaints. The ECU is responsible for determining if the BBC’s editorial standards were breached.
The incident raised significant concerns among political figures, including Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the Commons culture committee. She questioned whether the BBC has truly learned from past controversies, pointing specifically to a similar issue last year when the corporation broadcast antisemitic and derogatory remarks during a performance by punk duo Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. Dinenage and the committee demanded answers on why the slur was not edited out of the Bafta broadcast, what preventative measures were in place, why lessons from previous events like Glastonbury were not applied, and what steps would be taken to ensure such an incident does not happen again.
Davidson’s presence at the Baftas was linked to his film I Swear, which tells the story of his experiences growing up with Tourette’s in 1980s Scotland. The ceremony was shown on BBC One and iPlayer with a two-hour delay, but the slur was still audible to viewers, albeit faintly. Davidson himself questioned the decision to seat him near a microphone during the event, telling Variety, “There was a microphone just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic.” BBC producers working on the live edit from a remote truck reportedly did not hear the slur when the moment occurred. After the controversy, the BBC apologized multiple times and removed the ceremony from iPlayer.
Davidson emphasized that his tics result in involuntary utterances that do not reflect his character or beliefs. He publicly expressed regret over the distress caused by the incident, stating, “What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe.” He also highlighted that he spoke about ten different offensive words involuntarily during the ceremony, but media attention has focused almost exclusively on the racial slur. Following the event, he contacted Warner Bros to apologize directly to Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and Hannah Beachler, the production designer who also heard racial slurs on stage. Bafta acknowledged the harm the situation caused, apologizing to those affected and committing to a comprehensive review. They also stressed the importance of recognizing the real pain experienced by the Black community, while condemning the abusive backlash directed at Davidson and the wider Tourette’s community as deeply hurtful
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