The BBC breached its editorial standards when it broadcast a highly offensive racial slur during the Bafta awards ceremony, a review by its executive complaints unit (ECU) has found. The N-word was shouted by John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner, as actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan presented an award. The corporation described the breach as unintentional but acknowledged a serious mistake in failing to remove the footage from iPlayer until the following morning.
The ECU ruled that the inclusion of the N-word had no editorial justification and was highly offensive, but accepted it was not deliberate. The production team monitoring the live broadcast did not hear the slur, which was described as extremely indistinct. A second occurrence of the word ten minutes later was recognised and immediately edited out.
The ECU found that the delay in removing the content from iPlayer was a serious mistake that aggravated the offence. Although complaints were received during the broadcast, there was a lack of clarity about whether the word was audible on the recording, leading to a delayed decision.
BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips apologised directly to Lindo, Jordan, Davidson and actor Wunmi Mosaku, stating: 'We must learn from our mistakes and ensure our processes are as robust as they can be.' She acknowledged the hurt caused to colleagues and audiences.
Separate complaints that the BBC misapplied impartiality by editing out remarks including the words 'free Palestine' from Akinola Davies Jr's acceptance speech were not upheld. The ECU said the editing was due to time constraints in fitting three hours of material into a two-hour slot, not impartiality considerations.
The BBC said it is strengthening pre-event risk assessments and reviewing production setups at live events. The process for removing content from iPlayer is also being re-communicated internally.
