BBC Apologizes for Not Censoring Outburst

The BBC has apologized for failing to censor a racist slur shouted by an attendee with Tourette’s syndrome while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting a prize at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards.

The outburst came from John Davidson, an activist and longtime educator on Tourette’s syndrome, whose life story was turned into the BAFTA-nominated biopic I Swear. Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show. But the incident that garnered the most attention was when he shouted the N-word while Jordan and Lindo — both of whom are Black — were presenting the award for Best Special Visual Effects. 

While the BAFTAs are notably taped on a two-hour delay, leaving plenty of time for editing, Davidson’s outbursts were still audible when the show aired on BBC One later Sunday night. It also remained when the show was released on the VOD service, BBC iPlayer, until finally being edited out on Monday morning.

In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said, “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

(While Davidson’s outbursts were not edited out, several reports have noted the various things the BBC did manage to mute. These included: A joke BAFTAs host Alan Cumming made comparing the plot of Zootopia 2 — “Lies, corrupt leaders, poisoning and persecution of a race” — to the current political climate in the U.S.; Paul Thomas Anderson telling people who don’t think movies are good anymore to “piss right off”; and filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. saying “Free Palestine” while accepting an award for his debut feature My Father’s Shadow.)

Cumming, for his part, did address the matter twice during the show. The first time, he acknowledged the “strong language in the background,” adding, “This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.” 

The second time, Cumming said, “the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended.” 

Some have had sharp words for Davidson, including Jamie Foxx, who wrote in an Instagram comment, “Nah he meant that shit.” But much of the frustration has been directed at the BAFTAs and the BBC for their handling of the situation, which many have seen as damaging to both the Black community and those with Tourette’s syndrome.

Actor Wendell Pierce wrote, “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throattted [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”

Sinners’ Oscar-winning production designer, Hannah Beachler, also addressed what she called an “almost impossible” situation on X. Beachler, who was in the room, said she heard Davidson say the N-word three times, including once directed at her, and another time at another Black woman. 

“I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation,” Beachler wrote. “I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show. Of course we were offended… but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened.  I am not [steel], this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”