Alan Cumming Asks for ‘Understanding’ After Tourette’s Campaigner’s Outbursts at BAFTAs

alan cumming thanked the audience for their understanding after repeated audible outbursts from John Davidson, a Tourette’s campaigner who was in the crowd at the BAFTA Film Awards. The disturbances — which included racial and obscene language that was audible on television and during the live event at the Royal Festival Hall — interrupted speeches and prompted on-site explanations and an apology from the host.

Alan Cumming Pauses and Explains to Audience at Royal Festival Hall

Early in the ceremony, Cumming acknowledged that audience members “may have noticed some strong language in the background, ” telling the crowd, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales, that this can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome appears for some people. He thanked attendees “for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone. ” Later he made a fuller statement: “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight. ”

John Davidson MBE and the Audible Disruptions

John Davidson MBE, the campaigner whose life inspired the film I Swear, was introduced before the ceremony when the floor manager said: “I’d like to welcome John Davidson MBE from one of our nominated films ‘I Swear’. John has Tourette’s Syndrome so please be aware you might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony. ” Davidson, who first experienced symptoms at age 12 and was diagnosed at 25, has tics and uncontrollable outbursts that often involve cursing.

Those outbursts were heard at several points in the ceremony. During an introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt someone shouted “shut the fuck up. ” When the directors of Boong accepted the BAFTA for best children’s and family film a voice yelled “fuck you. ” During the presentation for best visual effects, when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to hand the award to Avatar: Fire and Ash, an audience member shouted the n-word. At other times words such as “boring” and “f***” were audible on television.

Broadcast Choices and Audience Movement

The outbursts were not edited out of the televised ceremony, which was transmitted with a two-hour delay on One in the U. K. and on E! in the U. S. The second half of the event did not feature the same audible disruptions after Davidson appeared to have left the room; he left of his own accord and was not asked to leave by BAFTA. Organizers had introduced him as an invited guest and had indicated he would not be asked to leave the ceremony under any circumstances.

I Swear, Robert Aramayo and BAFTA Recognition

The film I Swear follows Davidson at around the age of 25 after his appearance in the documentary John’s Not Mad. Robert Aramayo portrays Davidson in the film, which was directed, written and produced by Kirk Jones. The production was nominated in five BAFTA categories, including best leading actor for Aramayo, best supporting actor for Peter Mullan, and best original screenplay; it won the casting award and is competing for outstanding British film. The project has also been referred to as a Bafta-winning drama in coverage of the night.

Aramayo was awarded BAFTA’s EE Rising Star prize on Sunday night and also went on to win the Best Actor prize for his role. Collecting the Rising Star award, he praised Davidson, calling him “the most remarkable man I ever met” and saying Davidson was forthcoming in educating others about Tourette’s and that there is still much to learn about the condition.

Ceremony Context: Guests and Hosts

Stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan and Emma Stone attended the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall to honour British film. Cumming had taken over hosting duties following a two-year stint by David Tennant. The live event took place hours before the delayed broadcast, creating a situation where viewers watched audible interruptions that Cumming had already addressed in the room.

Organizational Response and Next Steps

Organizers did not remove Davidson during the ceremony and have maintained that he was an invited guest. BAFTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the incident. What makes this notable is how a live, high-profile awards ceremony balanced the need to respect a guest with an involuntary medical condition against the impact of offensive language that was heard by viewers and attendees alike.