Alan Cumming, the host of this year's Bafta film awards, has criticised the organisation's leadership as 'bad people who weren't doing their jobs properly' following an incident in which Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson shouted a racial slur during the ceremony. The outburst, which was broadcast by the BBC, led to an international scandal and an apology from both Bafta and the BBC.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Cumming described the event as a 'shitshow' and said he had not been warned by Bafta that Davidson might use offensive language. 'They just said, 'There'll be noise,'' Cumming said. 'You could say they didn't know, but they clearly did, because apparently John had said the N-word at a party the day before.'
Davidson, who attended the ceremony as the subject of the documentary 'I Swear', shouted the N-word twice and also directed a slur at Cumming. The BBC initially left the broadcast on iPlayer overnight before removing it. An independent review commissioned by Bafta found no evidence of malicious intent.
Cumming apologised during the ceremony, stating: 'Tourette syndrome is a disability … we apologise if you are offended tonight.' However, he told the Sunday Times that neither he nor the audience had been forewarned. He also revealed that he had decided before the event not to host the Baftas again, telling his agent: 'Remind me, I never want to do this again.'
In a subsequent interview with Variety, Davidson expressed distress over the incident, saying: 'I can't begin to explain how upset and distraught I have been … My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.' Bafta declined to comment when approached by the Guardian.
