Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler has criticized Alan Cumming’s on-stage apology after the N-word was shouted by a Tourette’s campaigner during the BAFTA Film Awards.
Cumming briefly paused the ceremony twice to acknowledge the involuntary shouting from Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, who is the subject of biopic I Swear.
Davidson was sat in the audience during the ceremony and, at one point, shouted 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 also featured in the BBC’s coverage of the event.
Sometime after Davidson’s intervention, Cumming said the BAFTA audience “may have noticed” the “strong language,” adding that he was sorry if “anyone was offended.”
Beachler, who said she also experienced Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs, was unhappy at the nature of Cumming’s comments on-stage. She said an “impossible situation” was made worse by the “throw-away apology.”
BAFTA has been approached for comment. The BBC apologized for broadcasting “strong and offensive language.”
On X/Twitter, Beachler wrote: “I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.
“And a third time at a Black woman. I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw-away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show.
“Of course we were offended…but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal, this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”
I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can't find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.
— HannahBeachler (@HannahEBeachler) February 23, 2026The outbursts have stirred up a large debate online about contingency planning at the event and why they were seemingly unedited in the broadcast. Actors and pundits on both sides of the Atlantic have weighed in with many expressing anger and disappointment.
Deadline reported earlier this week that Davidson’s attendance had come up in planning meetings between the BBC and producers, Penny Lane TV. 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.
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.”
Davidson is a remarkable ambassador for his disability, helping support others with Tourette’s syndrome through public speaking and other activism. In 2018, he was awarded an honor by Queen Elizabeth II for his work in increasing understanding of the condition.
The incident came on a night of triumph for Sinners. Ryan Coogler‘s hit vampire thriller won three bronze masks at the British awards ceremony, held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday. This made it the most decorated movie by a Black director in the history of BAFTA.
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