BBC Removes BAFTA Film Awards From iPlayer After Initially Failing To Cut N-Word From Ceremony

The BBC has removed from iPlayer the BAFTA Film Awards after initially failing to cut a racial slur involuntarily shouted by an audience member with Tourette syndrome.

During the event, Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, who is the subject of biopic I Swear, shouted involuntary remarks from the audience.

At one point, he said the N-word when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for Best Visual Effects to Avatar: Fire and Ash.

The comment, although not clearly audible, was featured in the BBC’s coverage of the ceremony, which was pre-recorded on a two-hour delay before broadcasting on BBC One.

The incident remained on iPlayer, the BBC’s streaming service, for most of the morning, but was finally taken down around 11.30AM local time. The stream was replaced with a page saying: “This episode will be available soon.”

In a statement earlier in the day, a BBC spokesperson said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”

Host Alan Cumming also apologized during the ceremony. He said the BAFTA audience “may have noticed” the “strong language,” adding that he was sorry if “anyone was offended.”

Davidson exited the auditorium at one point in the ceremony. It is not clear if he returned to his seat, but the interuptions appeared to end.

Deadline has asked the BBC why it failed to remove the comment from the broadcast, particularly as the producers had made preperations for Davidson’s attendance. The BBC and Penny Lane TV did, however, edit a winner’s speech in which Akinola Davies Jr. said the words “free Palestine.”

The nature of BAFTA’s apology was lammented by Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler, who said she also experienced Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs. She said an “impossible situation” was made worse by the “throw-away apology.”