BBC's BAFTA N-word apology is too little too late – this mistake is unforgivable

I am going to write this as clearly as I can. It is a universal fact that two things can be true at the same time. You can be deeply offended by the slur inadvertently shouted by Tourette's syndrome sufferer and advocate John Davidson, while Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects at the BAFTAs on Sunday night, February 22. You can also acknowledge and understand that the outburst was caused by a condition called coprolalia, a symptom of Tourette's syndrome, which is recognised by the disability act. The condition causes involuntary swearing, slurs and other socially unacceptable words or phrases.

Be very clear - the issue isn't what happened. The issue is how it was handled both before and after the incident - and for that, organisers and the BBC have a lot to answer for. Tourette's is not a visible disability, and therefore an outburst like that can, rightly, be quite shocking to people who are not expecting it. Particularly when it is such a vile phrase. However, Davidson had as much right to be in that room as anybody. He was there because his life inspired the BAFTA-winning film I Swear. The actor who played him, Robert Aramayo, won the best actor award for his astonishing portrayal of the campaigner.

While many people hiding behind keyboards online raged that he shouldn't have been there, the issue wasn't his presence. It was that there was no warning or disclaimer issued in advance. Davidson has spent his life raising awareness of the condition.

It would not have been an embarrassment had host Alan Cummings informed the audience that he may have an outburst, particularly due to the exceptional situation he found himself in. Adrenaline can exacerbate the tics associated with Tourette's, and who wouldn't find themselves excited to be on the red carpet with A-listers?

Forewarned is forearmed, but his condition and the possible consequences of it were not fully addressed until after the event. It has been said a floor manager had already informed attendees that Davidson might make involuntary noises or movements, but they clearly didn't emphasise how serious this could get.

Lindo confirmed neither he nor Jordan had the situation explained to them, telling Vanity Fair that they "did what we had to do while presenting" — but stating he wished "someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards." Both men looked, rightly, shell-shocked, when the offending word rang out. It is a word that cuts deeply. Knowing that Davidson might say something inappropriate wouldn't have taken the edge off the word's connotations, but it would have reduced its impact on them in that moment.

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It was only after they had left the stage that Cumming explained what had happened. "You may have noticed some strong language in the background. 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 for helping create a respectful space for everyone.” He later added that the condition is a disability and the tics were involuntary. But I doubt that was heard over the baying online mob who had already made their minds up that Davidson is racist.

The fact that it was handled the way it was in the room was bad enough, but the BBC had a two-hour window before broadcast to remove it, and they didn't. Not only that, the moment was not edited out, and it remained on BBC iPlayer until the following morning, before the entire ceremony was eventually removed.

A senior BBC executive has since apologised to staff, saying the corporation understands “how distressing” it was that a racial slur shouted during an appearance by Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo at the Bafta film awards was not edited out of the broadcast.
Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips said: "I wanted to write to you following Sunday’s Bafta Film Awards. I’m so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast. We understand how distressing this was. Award attendees were pre-warned about the possibility of involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette Syndrome at the start of the show, and Alan Cumming addressed it during the broadcast. Of course, this doesn’t lessen the impact and upset.

"The edit team removed another racial slur from the broadcast. This one was aired in error, and we would never have knowingly allowed this to be broadcast. We take full responsibility for what happened. When I was made aware it was audible on iPlayer, I asked for it to be taken down. As I’m sure you’re aware, we put out a statement yesterday morning apologising that the remark was not edited out prior to broadcast.

"I wrote to our Embrace network colleagues yesterday and am grateful for their thoughtful responses to me. Please know that you can reach out to me or to any member of our ExCo team if you’d like to talk further about this. Again, I am so very sorry for the distress caused.”

The apologies feel like too little too late when this was very preventable. It begs the question, how did someone miss this? Why did they not act sooner to resolve it? The result of the poor decisions surrounding how it was handled is that Davidson has been publicly vilified for something that is completely outside of his control. He said he was "deeply mortified" by the incident and devastated by the ensuing public reaction. Jordan and Lindo are also affected. Yet they are all victims here and no amount of online outrage will change that fact. This is now becoming just one incident in a long line with the BBC, and when you are paying £180 a year, this simply is not good enough. Apologies will only take you so far, but it's the action behind it which will show loyal BBC fans that the broadcaster is trying to better itself.