The writer and director of I Swear has said Tourette’s activist John Davidson was “let down on many, many levels” after the BBC’s broadcast of the Baftas included him involuntarily shouting a racial slur.
Mr Davidson – whose life inspired the hit film – was in attendance at Sunday (22 February) night’s awards ceremony, where I Swear won two accolades, including Best Actor for Robert Aramayo, who played the campaigner.
Prior to the ceremony, which airs on the BBC a few hours after it takes place, attendees at London’s Royal Festival Hall were told that they might hear some of his tics.
While some of these could not be heard in the BBC’s broadcast, fans tuning in realised Mr Davidson shouted the n-word while two Black actors, Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo, were on stage.
The clip quickly circulated online and sparked a debate, with some making accusations of racism, while others questioned Bafta’s approach and why the BBC did not edit Mr Davidson’s tic out.
Kirk Jones, the writer and director of I Swear, has now weighed in, telling The Telegraph: “I think John was let down on many, many levels. And I think the fact that that [tic] went out for broadcast was perhaps one of the worst ways in which he was let down on the night.”
He continued: “If you just imagine for a second that that was not broadcast, then suddenly the problem was restricted to everyone in the room.
“And Bafta could write to everyone in the room, and they [could have] said, ‘We wanted to apologise again, we understand, this, that and the other.’
“They could have done that the next day to all the guests, and no one would have known that it happened… You wouldn’t have the clips.”
At other points in the BBC broadcast, Mr Davidson could be heard shouting words such as “boring” and “f***”.
The activist – who also served as an executive producer on I Swear – said in a statement issued on Monday (23 February) that he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.
He added that he chose to leave the ceremony early because he was “aware of the distress my tics were causing” – and has since said he was assured his tics would be edited out of the Baftas broadcast.
In a follow-up interview with Variety, Mr Davidson said he “ticked perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards”, which included “homophobic tics” and another racial slur.
Bafta has apologised to Sinners actors Jordan and Lindo – who were on stage to present an award when the incident occurred – in a statement issued earlier this week.
It added: “We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.
“We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”
The BBC has apologised for failing to edit the slur out. It removed the original Baftas broadcast from iPlayer on Monday and has since replaced it with a new version.
Meanwhile, culture secretary Lisa Nandy has welcomed a full BBC investigation, which has been “fast-tracked” by the corporation’s executive complaints unit.
“Broadcasting a racial slur is completely unacceptable and harmful,” she said earlier this week. “The BBC must ensure that this never happens again.”
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