BAFTA has issued a statement following events at Sunday night’s awards ceremony, during which Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson was heard shouting a racial slur while Sinners actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting the first award of the evening.
While the language was edited out of the televised broadcast, which aired a couple of hours later, it remained audible on BBC iPlayer. The incident has since sparked significant backlash, with BAFTA judge and filmmaker Jonte Richardson stepping down from his position over the organisation’s handling of the situation.
BAFTA responds to the backlash
In a statement posted to BAFTA’s official Instagram, which was dated on 23 February, the post read: “At the BAFTA Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.
“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.
“We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.
“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
“During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.
“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”
© Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty ImViewers react to the post
Viewers were quick to respond to BAFTA’s post, with many criticising the decision not to remove the language from BBC iPlayer altogether.
“You can’t control what he said but you certainly could’ve edited it out. Hope this helps!” said one person, while another wrote: “He said it, yes, but why didn’t you edit it out?…” A third added: “You choose to not edit it. That’s it.”
What happened at the BAFTAs?
A source of HELLO!’s, who was in attendance at the awards on the night, said: “When the shouting first began, my immediate thought was that Prince William and the Princess of Wales were being heckled. Ahead of the broadcast, guests had been warned that John – a Tourette’s syndrome campaigner – was in the room and that strong language might be heard.”
“A further slur was heard during Wunmi Mosaku’s acceptance speech. She appeared not to react and continued speaking without letting the interruption distract her. The shouting subsided around the middle of the ceremony.”
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