John Davidson Says BAFTA Promised Any Swearing Would be Edited Out of Broadcast

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Okay, let’s talk about the BAFTA situation with activist John Davidson and the Sinners stars. BAFTA has apologized for Davidson shouting a slur during the awards show, taking responsibility for putting everyone in an awkward position. But honestly, it feels like BAFTA dropped the ball here. They assured Davidson – who has Tourette’s and was there to raise awareness – that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast. Clearly, that didn’t happen, especially considering the two-hour delay! Davidson, in a recent interview with Variety, explained he’s worked with the BBC before, and they should have been prepared for potential tics. He pointed out he was actually quite far from the stage, but there was a microphone right in front of him that picked up not only the outburst aimed at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, but several others throughout the night. It just seems like a little more foresight could have prevented the whole thing.

According to Davidson’s team, he contacted Jordan, Lindo, and production designer Hannah Beachler after the incident. Beachler, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledged the difficult situation but criticized Alan Cumming’s response as a dismissive apology that simply said “if you were offended.” Davidson explained that he expected the BBC to have control over the sound during the awards, and if his tics couldn’t be stopped, at least their audio could be managed. The fact that the broadcast cut out Akinola Davies Jr.’s acceptance speech—in which he said “Free Palestine” after winning for My Father’s Shadow—demonstrates the level of control the BBC and BAFTA had over the ceremony’s presentation. Despite their subsequent apology, it seems the BBC and BAFTA created a problematic situation by minimizing the impact of Davidson’s language and forcing him to defend a statement that contradicted his beliefs.

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2026-02-25 21:54