BBC boss explains why N-word aired during BAFTA Awards broadcast: 'It was a genuine mistake'
BBC boss explains why N-word aired during BAFTA Awards broadcast: 'It was a genuine mistake'
Mekishana PierreFri, March 6, 2026 at 11:32 PM UTC
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Outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie; Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson at the 2026 BAFTA Film AwardsCredit: Lucy North/PA Images; Jeff Spicer/Getty
Almost two weeks after the BBC aired a racial slur that was shouted during the broadcast of this year's BAFTA Film Awards, its outgoing director-general Tim Davie is officially sharing the corporation's version of events that led to the awards ceremony debacle.
In a letter sent to Dame Caroline Dinenage DBE MP, the chair of the U.K. government's Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Davie said that the BBC "profoundly regrets" airing the incident in which Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson yelled the N-word while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award during the first half of the 2026 BAFTA Awards. The disturbance made headlines when, instead of being edited out along with other instances of Davidson's involuntary outbursts, the moment aired within the broadcast after a two-hour delay, and remained on BBC iPlayer for 15 hours after the ceremony concluded.
"We understand the hurt and shock that the mistake caused," Davie wrote in the letter. "I'd like to make clear: although the racial slur was symptomatic of a disability and an involuntary tic, it should never have been broadcast. It was a genuine mistake, and we take full responsibility for our error."
Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presenting onstage during the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in LondonCredit: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty
Although Davie acknowledged that the question of how the slur hadn't been edited out prior to the Feb. 22 ceremony being broadcast is "the subject of ongoing review," he claimed that "initial evidence gathering" concluded that "no-one in the on-site broadcast truck heard this when they were watching the live feed."
"The second occasion the slur was shouted was during the second award of the evening, when Wunmi Mosaku accepted her Best Supporting Actress award. In that instance, the edit team did hear the racial slur on the feed and removed it immediately from the version of the ceremony that would be broadcast later that evening," the executive detailed. "These two incidents happened within ten minutes of each other. It appears that soon after the second incident, the edit team in the truck started receiving reports, including from BAFTA, that a racial slur had been shouted during the ceremony."
Davie claims that the "understanding" of the BBC is that the editing team "mistakenly believed" that they had handled the incident being referenced "on the basis that they had heard and edited out the slur shouted out during the Best Supporting Actress award."
He continued, "Therefore, when they were told a racial slur had been shouted, they believed they had removed it."
Wunmi Mosaku accepts Best Supporting Actress at the 2026 BAFTA Film AwardsCredit: Tristan Fewings/BAFTA/Getty
When addressing why the show remained on iPlayer that night — despite multiple outlets reporting that Warner Bros. raised immediate concerns and requested that the moment be removed from the BBC broadcast within minutes, bringing light to the first instance of the racial slur —Davie claimed that because "the on-site team did not believe that the slur was audible on the broadcast," the footage remained unedited until the morning when the issue "was escalated to the Chief Content Officer, who authorized the removal."
"We are now looking in more detail why the team did not ascertain sooner that there had been two instances of the use of the racial slur, and why post broadcast further action was not taken to edit or remove the programme from iPlayer sooner," he added.
The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) is examining the issue more deeply and will report back soon.
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In the meantime, Davie wrote that "lessons had been learned."
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The backlash surrounding the BAFTAs incident has now entered its second week.
The ceremony's host, Alan Cumming, initially apologized on stage after Davidson could be heard shouting slurs and other curses from the audience.
"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," he explained at the time. "We apologize if you are offended tonight."
Later that evening, Lindo claimed that nobody from the British Academy of Film and Television approached him or Jordan to offer an apology or acknowledge the incident after it occurred. While speaking to Vanity Fair at a Warner Bros.' after-party, Lindo said he and Jordan "did what we had to do" while they were on stage, but he added that he wished "someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards."
Alan Cumming hosts the 2026 BAFTA Film AwardsCredit: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty
Davidson addressed the incident the day after the ceremony, sharing a statement which reiterated that his verbal tics and uncontrollable swearing are symptoms of Tourette's and involuntary. He stated that he was "deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette's community and to teach empathy, kindness, and understanding from others, and I will continue to do so."
BAFTA also released a detailed apology to all involved, saying it wanted to "acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened, and apologise to all."
The incident has become a hot topic of discussion, being referenced at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards, as well as inspiring a recent sketch on Saturday Night Live. The March 1 sketch featured the host, Heated Rivalry's Connor Storrie, and other cast members depicting a slew of canceled celebrities blaming their respective controversies on Tourette's, and arguing that they should be let off the hook because their actions were out of their control. The sketch, which was cut for time and didn't make the Saturday night broadcast, was posted on social media the following day and swiftly condemned by several viewers.
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