THE film I Swear leads Bafta Scotland nominations – but the man who inspired it has requested to watch the ceremony from another room after a furore over a racial slur incident at an event earlier this year.
During the Bafta Film Awards ceremony in London in February, Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson could be heard shouting a racial slur as Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award.
I Swear, which tells the story of Davidson’s life growing up with Tourette syndrome in Scotland, has been nominated for Bafta Scotland awards in seven categories, as well as a previously announced Audience Award nomination for Peter Mullan.
Davidson previously said he was “deeply mortified” by the incident in February, which led to concerns after the BBC failed to censor the slur during the broadcast, which was on a two-hour time delay.
The winners of the Bafta Scotland awards will be announced on Sunday, November 15, at a ceremony in Glasgow, hosted by Edith Bowman.
Bafta said it has worked to make events as inclusive and as safe as possible following the furore over events in February and has arranged for Davidson to watch via video link from a “separate relaxed space”.
In a letter sent to members, Bafta chair Sara Putt and chief executive Jane Millichip said: “For the upcoming Bafta Scotland Awards, for which I Swear has received seven nominations, we have worked with both safeguarding and inclusion experts to consider the arrangements necessary to enable John Davidson MBE, whose life inspired I Swear and who is an executive producer of the film, to participate in the safest way possible for all.
“We have consulted organisations including Tourettes Action and Tourette Scotland and, most importantly, we have been speaking directly to John.
“Following those conversations and our wider risk assessment, we have made adjustments to enable John to attend in the way he has suggested to us, which is to watch the ceremony via video link from a separate relaxed space within the venue together with his family and friends.”
Following the incident, Davidson said he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.
Earlier this year, the BBC’s then director-general, Tim Davie, said the corporation “profoundly regrets” the events at the ceremony in London.
Following the incident in February, Bafta commissioned an independent review which identified a number of structural weaknesses in Bafta’s planning, escalation procedures and crisis co-ordination arrangements but did not find evidence of malicious intent on the part of those involved in delivering the event.
