John Davidson: BBC should have ‘worked harder’ on stopping Bafta racial slur

By Jenny Garnsworthy, Press Association

The campaigner whose Tourette Syndrome caused him to shout out during the Bafta film awards said the BBC should have “worked harder” to ensure his racial slur was not broadcast.

In what is believed to be his first interview since Sunday’s awards ceremony, John Davidson told US entertainment magazine Variety that he “had an expectation that the BBC would physically control the sound” at the event.

Davidson could be heard shouting as Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for special visual effects during the ceremony at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

A statement from BAFTA on Sunday's Film Awards:https://t.co/zKtfQwfrQZ

— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 24, 2026

Davidson told Variety that he remembers a microphone was placed “just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic”.

He added: “Bafta had made us all aware that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast.

“I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast.”

Film studio Warner Bros is believed to have raised immediate concerns about the racial slur and requested it be removed from the BBC broadcast, the Press Association understands, but it could still be heard when it aired two hours later.

The BBC has apologised for not editing the racial slur out of the broadcast and subsequently removed it from the version on iPlayer.

Davidson said that at first his tics were “noises and movements, but the more nervous I got, the more my tics ramped up”.

He added that as his coprolalia, which causes involuntary swearing and inappropriate language, came out, “my stomach just dropped”.

“From the lack of response from the early presenters to my tics, and with no-one turning around to look at me, I assumed, like everyone else, that I could not be heard on the stage,” he said.

“The only time I became aware that my tic had reached the stage was when Delroy and Michael B Jordan appeared to look up from their role as presenters, and soon after that I decided to leave the auditorium.

“As always, I felt a wave of shame and embarrassment hit me all at once. You want the floor to swallow you up. I wanted to disappear.”

Davidson was attending the awards ceremony as an active executive producer on the film, I Swear, which tells the story of his life with Tourette Syndrome, which he developed when he was 12.

It stars Robert Aramayo, who won best actor for his performance in the film, while it also won best casting.

Davidson told Variety: “This was an awards ceremony that featured six nominations connected to a film that told the story of my life living with Tourette’s. I had as much right to attend as anyone.

“I was thrilled to see that on the night, everyone — including some of the most well-respected and famous people from the film world — cheered at my name and applauded.

“I stood and waved to show my appreciation and acknowledged that this was a significant moment in my life, finally being accepted. It started as one of the most memorable experiences of my life.”

Davidson, who has previously said he was “mortified” about the incident, said he wants people to realise that his tics are not a reflection of his own beliefs, but are an “involuntary neurological misfire”.

“What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe.

“The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette’s.”

He said he also shouted out many other words during the ceremony, including “boring” and “paedophile”.

“I would appreciate reports of the event explaining that I ticked perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards,” he added.

The fall-out from Sunday’s event led film-maker Jonte Richardson to step down as a Bafta judge over the academy’s handling of the incident.

In a statement on LinkedIn, Richardson said he felt “compelled to withdraw from the Bafta emerging talent judging panel”.

During the broadcast, the awards ceremony’s presenter Alan Cumming apologised for the language viewers may have heard.

Bafta apologised for the incident on Monday night and said it takes “full responsibility” for putting its guests in a “difficult situation”.

Bafta also apologised “unreservedly” to Jordan and Lindo, and “to all those impacted”, adding: “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”

The BBC has been approached for further comment.