LONDON – Britain’s public broadcaster issued an apology Monday after failing to remove offensive language from its coverage of the country’s premier film awards ceremony, where a guest living with Tourette syndrome called out a racial slur during a presentation by two Black performers.
The incident took place Sunday evening at the British Academy Film Awards as actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to present an award. John Davidson, whose life story inspired the award-winning film “I Swear,” shouted the offensive term from the audience. When the BBC aired its delayed broadcast approximately two hours later, the slur remained in the program and stayed available on the network’s streaming service until Monday morning.
Meanwhile, the broadcaster chose to remove director Akinola Davies Jr’s “Free Palestine” comment from his acceptance speech in the edited version.
Davidson had been invited to attend Sunday’s London ceremony after his personal journey with Tourette syndrome became the basis for “I Swear,” which received multiple honors at the awards show. The neurological condition causes individuals to experience sudden, uncontrollable sounds or movements called tics, which may sometimes involve profanity.
A BBC representative acknowledged Monday that audience members may have been exposed to “strong and offensive language” during the awards broadcast.
“This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer,” the spokesperson stated.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts organization did not provide a response when contacted for comment.
During the live ceremony, host Alan Cumming addressed the situation later in the evening, explaining that the individual with Tourette’s could not control his words and stating: “We apologise if you were offended.”
Several prominent figures in the entertainment industry expressed frustration with how the situation was handled. Wendell Pierce, who appeared alongside Jordan in “The Wire,” took to social media platform X to voice his anger that the two presenting actors did not receive an immediate and comprehensive apology.
“The insult to them takes priority,” Pierce wrote. “It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”
Hannah Beachler, who worked as production designer on “Sinners,” described the circumstances as an “impossible situation” but criticized what she called a “throw-away” apology for making matters worse. “Of course we were offended,” Beachler commented.
The film “Sinners,” a vampire thriller highlighting blues music and Black culture during America’s segregation period, is experiencing a remarkable awards season that has been celebrated as historic for Black filmmakers.
The movie earned a record-breaking 16 Academy Award nominations and claimed three victories at the British awards: best original screenplay for writer-director Ryan Coogler, best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and best original score.
Jordan received nominations across multiple award ceremonies, including an Oscar nod, for his dual role as twin brothers in the film. Lindo, an accomplished stage and screen performer, also earned an Oscar nomination.
“I Swear” chronicles Davidson’s experience growing up with Tourette syndrome and how the condition shaped his life, leading him to become an advocate for raising public understanding of the disorder.
The advocacy organization Tourettes Action released a statement acknowledging the pain Davidson’s words caused at the awards ceremony while emphasizing that such outbursts do not represent a person’s true beliefs, intentions, or character.
“We are deeply sorry to the Black community for the harm caused but at the same time, it is vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome: tics are involuntary,” the group’s statement read.
