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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Andrew Pulver

Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson says Bafta told him ‘any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast’

John Davidson before the Bafta film awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.
John Davidson before the Bafta film awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images

John Davidson, the Tourette syndrome (TS) activist at the centre of the Baftas N-word controversy, says that Bafta and the BBC “should have been aware of what to expect” from TS, and that he had been told that any offensive words would be removed.

In an interview with Variety, Davidson said that Bafta had told him “that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast”. He said: “I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said – which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage – from being included in the broadcast.” I Swear’s backers StudioCanal confirmed to the Guardian they had also been told by Bafta that swearing would be removed.

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