Jonte Richardson and the Bafta row over I Swear’s acceptance night

jonte richardson This weekend’s Bafta ceremony was overshadowed after Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson made several involuntary outbursts during the live broadcast, including shouting the N-word as Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan presented a prize, prompting sharp reactions from actors, filmmakers and the broadcaster.

Outburst on stage during Sunday’s ceremony

During Sunday’s Bafta ceremony John Davidson — whose life inspired the film I Swear — made multiple vocal tics, one of which included the N-word while Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting on stage, and the incident immediately sparked controversy across social platforms.

High-profile responses and strong language

Jamie Foxx wrote on Instagram that Davidson’s use of the N-word was “Unacceptable, ” adding “Nah he meant that shit, ” while Wendell Pierce wrote on X that it was “infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throtted [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur. ” Journalist Jemele Hill wrote on X: “Black people are just supposed to be ok with being disrespected and dehumanised so that other people don’t feel bad. ”

Voices with Tourette syndrome push back on deliberate intent

David Whitlam, 66, who has Tourette syndrome with coprolalia, said Davidson’s outbursts were not deliberate and that describing the use of the N-word as a “slur” is misleading; Whitlam said “A slur would be deliberately and specifically targeted by the individual towards a person or persons, ” and added that an “involuntary slur” is “surely oxymoronic. ”

Whitlam also recalled a personal incident in Texas in 1982 when he said he had never used the N-word but that it “battered my skull and out it popped, until my girlfriend rapidly shut the window of the car, ” and he said he remembers that incident “clearly, to this very day. ”

How some people with TS cope, and an incomplete detail

Whitlam described coping mechanisms he now uses, saying he avoids too many neuro-stimulating situations, attends rock gigs, sings in a chamber choir and plays in a rock band to keep his mind occupied, and that he chooses single seats without a window when travelling by train and uses self-talk to try to suppress tics. He added that his late wife had recognised his condition, but whether they pursued a formal diagnosis is unclear in the provided context.

Winners, edits and the ’s response

Lauren Evans, the Camarthenshire-born casting director who won a Bafta for best casting for I Swear, said she was in “complete shock” at winning on Sunday and that the evening had been “overshadowed” by discussion of the slur, which she described as an involuntary tic when two Black actors presented the award. The lead role in I Swear went to Yorkshire actor Robert Aramayo, who won the Best Actor Bafta, and Evans said Aramayo “immerses himself” in the role.

The has apologised for not editing the incident from its broadcast; chief content officer Kate Phillips told staff that a second slur was edited from the coverage, and a spokesperson said the live event is three hours and had to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot, adding that the same timing edits affected other speeches and that all winners’ speeches will be available to watch Bafta’s YouTube channel.

Politics in edits: a separate speech cut

On the same night My Father’s Shadow filmmakers Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr. won the Bafta Film Award for outstanding British debut, and Akinola Davies Jr. closed his winner’s remarks by dedicating the award to “all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children” and ended a passage with “For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine. ” That section of Davies Jr. ’s speech was removed from the broadcast; the broadcaster said time constraints drove the edits. Deadline noted the had prepared for politically charged speeches after last year’s incident in which a Glastonbury performer chanted “death to the IDF. ”

Relatedly, some commenters noted the cut comments about Trump from the US broadcast but left in the N-word, and Bafta has said it has begun a “comprehensive review” after the slur incident.

What’s next

Bafta has begun a “comprehensive review” following the incident, the says it edited some material for time and has apologised for leaving the slur in the broadcast, and all winners’ speeches will be made available Bafta’s YouTube channel as the immediate next step. jonte richardson