Tim Davie, the BBC’s outgoing director-general, has expressed the corporation’s “profound regret” over the broadcast of a racial slur during the Bafta film awards on BBC One. The incident occurred on 22 February when Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson was heard shouting as Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for special visual effects.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee had previously written to Mr Davie seeking an explanation for how the slur was broadcast despite a two-hour time delay. In his response to Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the committee, Mr Davie stated: “I’d like to make clear: although the racial slur was symptomatic of a disability and an involuntary tic, it should never have been broadcast. It was a genuine mistake, and we take full responsibility for our error.”
Mr Davie detailed two separate instances where the slur was shouted. Regarding the first, during Jordan and Lindo’s presentation, he explained that initial evidence suggested no one in the on-site broadcast truck heard it on the live feed. He added: “Because no-one in the broadcast truck was aware it was on the live feed, there was therefore no editorial decision made to leave the language in.”
The second instance occurred as Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku accepted her award for best supporting actress. In that case, the edit team heard the slur and removed it from the version broadcast later that evening. Mr Davie elaborated on the confusion: “These two incidents happened within 10 minutes of each other. It appears that soon after the second incident, the edit team in the truck started receiving reports, including from Bafta, that a racial slur had been shouted during the ceremony. Our understanding at this point is that the team editing the show in the truck mistakenly believed they had edited out the incident that was being referenced.”
John Davidson, whose Tourette’s causes involuntary vocal tics, has since expressed he is “deeply mortified” by the events. Bafta issued an apology, accepting “full responsibility” for placing its guests in a “difficult situation”. Chairwoman Sara Putt and chief executive Jane Millichip confirmed a “comprehensive” review is underway.
