The BBC has admitted breaching its editorial standards after broadcasting a racial slur during the Bafta Film Awards in February. An investigation by the corporation's executive complaints unit (ECU) found that the inclusion of the N-word, shouted by Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, was 'highly offensive' and had 'no editorial justification', though the breach was deemed unintentional.
The incident occurred as actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting an award for the film 'Sinners'. Davidson's outburst was heard live on air and remained on BBC iPlayer overnight before being removed. The ECU concluded that the failure to remove the content promptly was a 'serious mistake' that 'aggravated the offence' and constituted a further breach of standards.
The BBC's chief content officer, Kate Phillips, apologised directly to Lindo, Jordan, and Davidson, as well as to 'Sinners' star Wunmi Mosaku. She acknowledged the 'hurt and upset' caused and pledged to strengthen processes for monitoring live events and removing offensive content from iPlayer.
The review also examined complaints that the BBC had misapplied impartiality rules by editing out a reference to 'free Palestine' from Akinola Davies Jr's acceptance speech while retaining the slur. The ECU found no breach, stating the editing was due to time constraints rather than impartiality considerations.
