The BBC's chief content officer, Kate Phillips, has apologised to staff after a racial slur was accidentally broadcast during the Bafta film awards. In a note seen by the Press Association, Phillips said she was 'so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast' and understood 'how distressing this was'. The slur was shouted by Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson as actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award.
Phillips acknowledged that host Alan Cumming had addressed the possibility of involuntary tics, but said this did not 'lessen the impact and upset'. She noted that the edit team had removed another racial slur from the broadcast, but this one 'was aired in error and we would never have knowingly allowed this to be broadcast'. The BBC removed the broadcast from iPlayer on Monday as backlash mounted.
Bafta has launched a 'comprehensive review' and apologised to members, stating: 'We recognise this has impacted members in a multitude of ways.' Chair Sara Putt and chief executive Jane Millichip said they took 'full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation' and apologised unreservedly to Lindo and Jordan. Lindo later said he wished someone from Bafta had spoken to them after the event.
Political figures have criticised the incident. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it a 'horrible mistake', while Labour MP Dawn Butler described the broadcast as 'painful and unforgivable' and wrote to the outgoing BBC director general for an 'urgent explanation'. Film-maker Jonte Richardson announced he was stepping down as a Bafta judge, calling the handling 'utterly unforgivable'.
Separately, Google apologised for an AI-generated prompt that appeared alongside an article about the incident, which invited users to 'See more on' the N-word. A spokesperson said the company was 'deeply sorry for this mistake' and was working to prevent a recurrence.
