BBC Will Remove N-Word Outburst From BAFTA Film Awards on iPlayer, Apologizes ‘That This Was Not Edited Out Prior to Broadcast’

The BBC has apologized for not editing out a racial slur from the BAFTA Film Awards‘ tape-delayed broadcast and will now remove it from the version of the ceremony on iPlayer.

The outburst came from John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner who was seated in the audience during the ceremony and is himself the subject of the biopic “I Swear.” Davidson’s condition causes him to produce involuntary vocal tics, one of which — the N-word — occurred as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to hand out the prize for best visual effects, ultimately won by “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

Related Stories

SXSW 2026 Adds 'The Comeback' Season 3, Bloody Ballerina Thriller 'Pretty Lethal' and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Hillel Slovak Doc

Steven Spielberg Joins SXSW Lineup for Keynote Conversation

After pulling the BAFTA Film Awards from iPlayer early Monday afternoon, a BBC spokesperson said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

Although the remark was barely audible amid the noise of the ceremony, it was picked up in the BBC’s coverage. What drew particular scrutiny was the fact that the broadcast operated on a two-hour tape delay before airing on BBC One and iPlayer — a buffer that editors would ordinarily use to catch and remove exactly this kind of material.

Last summer, the BBC faced a major controversy after airing a Glastonbury Festival performance by punk rap duo Bob Vylan, during which the band led the crowd in a “Death to the IDF” chant on a live iPlayer stream. The footage remained online for more than five hours before being pulled. The fallout prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand answers from the BBC, and the corporation subsequently revised its livestreaming protocols in response.