John Davidson, a campaigner for Tourette’s awareness who was heard making a racial slur during the BAFTAs, had previously spoken publicly about what it’s like to live with what he described as an “awful” condition.
During Sunday night’s (February 22) ceremony, Davidson shouted the N word while Sinners actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting the Special Visual Effects Award.
The presenters paused momentarily after the comment was audible, then carried on with the announcement without appearing fazed.
Host Alan Cummings addressed the outburst later in the broadcast, apologising after the slur was caught on camera and saying: “This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience.
“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.”
Even so, the moment prompted strong criticism online, and the BAFTA Film Awards were subsequently removed from BBC iPlayer.
Lindo later reflected on the incident in comments to Vanity Fair, saying he and Jordan “did what we had to.”
Davidson attended the ceremony because his film I Swear—which focuses on his life with Tourette’s—had received five nominations.
Speaking to the BBC before I Swear was released last year, Davidson discussed developing tics and involuntary swearing at around age 12, and described the impact it has had on everyday life.
“Tourette’s is such an awful condition that most of the time I don’t want to be the centre of attention,” he said. “I want to be able to walk down the street and not be noticed because I’m shouting or swearing.”
He also recalled being “absolutely mortified” when he began ticcing and swearing during a visit to Holyrood Palace, where he was receiving an MBE for his advocacy work in 2019.
Explaining that anxiety can make his symptoms more pronounced, Davidson said: “Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was one of the Royal Archers, the Queen’s bodyguards while she’s in Holyrood, and a voice said ‘Don’t stress, she knows all about your condition’.
“That to me was huge because I’ve struggled so much with everyday life, with people misunderstanding, and if the Queen of the United Kingdom can understand and ignore the tics and the swear words then why can’t the rest of society?”
Davidson was previously featured in the 1989 BBC documentary John’s Not Mad, which followed him at 16 after he was diagnosed with severe Tourette’s syndrome.
At this year’s ceremony, Robert Aramayo—who portrays Davidson in I Swear—won the BAFTA for Best Actor, ahead of Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B Jordan.