John Davidson outburst at BAFTAs sparks debate over Tourette’s and broadcast edits

john davidson, the real-life inspiration for the film I Swear, shouted a racial slur during the BAFTA Film Awards while presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage, an incident that has dominated conversation around the ceremony and the choices made about what to include in the broadcast.

John Davidson’s interruption during the Sinners presentation

During the presentation of the BAFTA for best visual effects—won that night by Avatar: Fire and Ash—john davidson shouted the N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while the Sinners stars were presenting. The outburst followed an opening monologue from host Alan Cumming during which Davidson was involuntarily ticking. Audience members gasped and Jordan was visibly startled when the slur came from the auditorium.

Alan Cumming’s onstage explanations and later clarification

Alan Cumming addressed the room after the incident, telling viewers, “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. ” He also thanked attendees for generating “a respectful space for everyone. ” At another point he emphasized that “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, ” and added, “We apologize if you are offended tonight. ”

What happened before and after the outburst

Guests had been warned before the ceremony that they might occasionally hear involuntary tics: a floor manager welcomed Davidson and asked attendees to be aware they might hear some involuntary noises or movements. john davidson left the Royal Festival Hall around 25 minutes into the proceedings; that departure was of his own accord rather than the result of being asked to leave. After the awards, BAFTA hosted a dinner for nominees and guests where the incident was widely discussed.

Reactions at after-parties and from presenters

At a Warner Bros. after-party following the ceremony, Delroy Lindo said he and Michael B. Jordan “did what we had to do” while presenting, and added that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward. ” Lindo was later seen in good spirits, chatting with his costar Wunmi Mosaku, who won the BAFTA for best supporting actress. Jordan attended an after-party briefly, where he was listed as one of the event’s hosts.

Film background, onstage moments and pushback over broadcast editing

The man at the center of the controversy is a Tourette’s campaigner and the real-life inspiration behind the celebrated, widely acclaimed British film I Swear, directed by Kirk Jones. Robert Aramayo, who portrayed the Scotsman at the center of that story, won a BAFTA that night, taking both the rising-star award and the lead-actor prize over contenders including Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan. The film follows a man’s struggle growing up with Tourette’s syndrome, a condition characterized in the ceremony coverage as sudden, involuntary and repetitive movements or sounds—tics that can sometimes manifest as loud swearing.

Attendees heard multiple vocal outbursts from john davidson in the first 20 minutes of the ceremony: he was heard shouting “Boring!” during housekeeping remarks, saying “Bullshit!” when people were asked not to curse, and exclaiming “Shut the fuck up” while BAFTA chair Sara Putt made introductory remarks, before the racial slur directed at presenters later in the show. Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler wrote on social media that the situation “is almost impossible…it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show. ”

The ceremony was aired on a tape delay, and the broadcast retained the slur. A spokesperson for the broadcaster acknowledged that some viewers “may have heard strong and offensive language” that arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, apologized that the language was not edited out prior to broadcast, and said it will now be removed. The decision not to edit other moments—such as a separate instance when Akinola Davies Jr. said “free Palestine” at the end of his speech—was explained by program-editing choices to ensure the show was delivered to time, and those editorial judgments have prompted further questions behind the scenes about what was left in the final transmission.