Racial insult shouted during BAFTA awards by guest with Tourette’s

The British film academy and the BBC have apologized to viewers after an audience member with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur during the British Academy Film Awards.

The offensive word could be heard as “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects during Sunday’s ceremony.

Host Alan Cumming had earlier told the audience that a guest at the ceremony was John Davidson, a Scottish activist for people with Tourette syndrome who inspired the BAFTA-nominated film “I Swear.”

“I Swear” won two BAFTAs, including best actor for Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson.

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalizations, including the pronunciation of inappropriate words.

After the outburst, Cumming apologized to the audience at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the “strong and offensive language”.

“Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you heard tonight are involuntary, meaning the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language,” Cumming said. “We apologize if you were offended.”

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts referred to Cumming’s statement when asked for comment on Monday.

The epithet could be heard when the BBC broadcast the ceremony about two hours after the event live.

The broadcaster apologized, although the offensive word could still be heard on its streaming service on Monday morning. The show was later removed and the BBC said the insult would be removed.

“Some viewers may have heard strong, offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome and, as explained during the ceremony, was unintentional,” the BBC said in a statement. “We apologize that this was not edited before broadcast and will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

Ed Palmer, vice-president of the charity Tourettes Action, said the BBC should have considered removing the slur.

“This really is one of the most acute examples of how something that is a disability can cause, understandably, enormous amounts of offense to someone,” he told Times Radio. “So if it’s being pre-recorded now, then turning it off, for example, might be a reasonable compromise.”