BBC producers overseeing coverage of the Bafta film awards say they did not hear a racial slur it mistakenly broadcast on BBC One, as the corporation apologised for the error that remained uncorrected for several hours.
The broadcast containing the N-word remained on BBC iPlayer overnight before the coverage was taken down. The BBC later apologised and said the show would be re-edited, following a backlash.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the BBC had made a “horrible mistake” for failing to edit out the word.
It had been said by John Davidson, the Tourette syndrome campaigner, who shouted it as Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, the stars of the film Sinners, were on stage as they were presenting an award.
It is understood that the producers overseeing the ceremony for the BBC were doing so from a truck and say they simply did not hear the slur. Several other incidents of inappropriate language were cut out, but that moment was missed.
The BBC yesterday issued a new apology for its handling of the incident. “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta film awards,” it said.
“This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
Badenoch led the criticisms of the BBC’s mistake. “It should have been bleeped, because I was told that there were two other things that were bleeped … people shouting Free Palestine,” she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “So that is a huge error.
“The BBC made a mistake, a horrible mistake, I think the two actors who were standing there will have been the people who were the most embarrassed, because they wouldn’t have known what was going on.”
The incident was sparked by Davidson who attended the Baftas as I Swear, the film inspired by his life of dealing with hostility triggered by TS, was up for a number of awards.
During the ceremony Baftas host Alan Cumming made announcements explaining the situation, saying: “Tourette syndrome is a disability, and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”
Figures including actors Jamie Foxx and Wendell Pierce expressed their dismay, with Foxx calling it “unacceptable” and Pierce saying: “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throatted [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.” Sinners’ production designer Hannah Beachler said on social media that she had also had a racial slur directed at her, and criticised what she called Bafta’s “throwaway” apology.
Bafta has also been approached for comment.
