Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson has said the BBC could have done more to stop his involuntary racial slur about the stars of Sinners from airing on national television.
In an interview with Variety, Davidson — whose dedication to helping those with Tourette syndrome was the subject of biopic I Swear — said the broadcast of his BAFTA Film Awards interruption was preventable.
“I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast,” he said.
Davidson said he was sat near to a microphone in the Royal Festival Hall auditorium. Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye reported that the mic was later moved to a different location. “I remember there was a microphone just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic,” Davidson said.
The BBC and BAFTA have apologized to all parties, including Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, revealed on Tuesday that a second involuntary racial slur was edited out the ceremony, which was screened on a two-hour time delay.
“This one was aired in error and we would never have knowingly allowed this to be broadcast,” said Phillips wrote in an internal email. “We take full responsibility for what happened. When I was made aware it was audible on iPlayer, I asked for it to be taken down. As I’m sure you’re aware we put out a statement yesterday morning apologising that the remark was not edited out prior to broadcast.”
The position of the BBC and Penny Lane TV, producers of the BAFTA Film Awards, was that the interuption was not heard in the outside broadcast truck, meaning it made the final cut. Davidson’s verbal tic was clearly audible in the auditorium, however, and, as Deadline revealed on Tuesday, Sinners studio Warner Bros. complained to BAFTA about the incident immediately and requested it be edited out of the broadcast.
Davidson used the Variety interview to explain that his tics are unintentional and do not reflect his beliefs. “Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me. What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe. The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette’s,” he continued.
“I would appreciate reports of the event explaining that I ticked perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards. The N-word was one of these, and I completely understand its significance in history and in the modern world, but most articles are giving the impression I shouted one single slur on Sunday.”