The BBC has issued an apology following a controversial moment during the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 22), which occurred while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to present the award for Best Special Visual Effects. As the two Sinners stars began their introduction, a member of the audience – later identified as Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, whose life with the condition inspired the BAFTA-winning biographical film I Swear – shouted a racial slur, prompting both men to pause for a moment before proceeding with their presentation. A BBC spokesperson has since apologized for the “offense caused” to those watching the ceremony in a statement addressing the incident:
“Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologize for any offense caused by the language heard.”
Davidson was formally diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome at the age of 25. His symptoms include involuntary verbal tics and uncontrollable outbursts, often involving offensive language and expletives. A number of outbursts could be heard throughout the ceremony, including during the introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt and when Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi took to the stage to accept his award for Best Children’s and Family Film. However, the incident in which Davidson shouted the N-word while Jordan and Lindo were on stage sparked heated debate online, with some expressing understanding for the condition and others voicing outrage over the BBC’s lack of censorship despite a two-hour delay in the broadcast.
A large majority of critics and viewers questioned why the delay was not used to bleep or remove the offensive language from the broadcast to protect both the presenters and the campaigner from negative exposure, especially since other moments in the ceremony were cut. Ed Palmer, vice chairman of the charity Tourettes Action, who has Tourette’s himself, emerged as one of the voices on this side of the debate, as he told Times Radio, per ITV News, that the BBC should have considered bleeping out the slur to avoid offense:
“This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause, quite understandably, huge amounts of offence to someone. So, if it’s being pre-recorded now, then bleeping it out, for example, might be a reasonable compromise. But I think it has to be taken on a case-by-case kind of decision and scenario.”
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This story originally appeared on Movieweb
