The BBC is under fire after a man with Tourette syndrome screamed racism at the BAFTAs

The annual BAFTAS, Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars, will not be remembered for which films won, but rather for how the BBC handled the shocking moment. During the broadcast, an attendee with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur, which was heard on a tape-delayed radio.

The first time the N-word was uttered was John Davidson, whose life became the basis of a BAFTA-nominated film. I swearwas at the beginning of the BBC broadcast, as They are sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the first award. Both Jordan and Lindo are black.

Review, Feb. 23, 3pm ET: Davidson issued a statement about the events at the BAFTAs, he thanked his organizers for inviting him and explaining his art to the audience. He also said, “In addition to the announcement of Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and am always very upset when anyone considers my idiosyncrasies to be intentional or meaningful.”

On the other hand, Lindo later told Vanity Fair that no one from BAFTA reached out to him after Davidson screamed, and that he and Jordan did their best to carry on after hearing the word.

Davidson is reported to have repeated this statement several times during the show, according to They are sinners production designer Hannah Beachler.

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Davidson left the event after it was over, the BBC reported.

BAFTA presenter Alan Cumming spoke to Davidson during the event, telling the audience, “Tourette’s syndrome is a disability and the tics you heard tonight are voluntary, which means that a person with Tourette’s syndrome has no control over their language. We’re sorry if you’ve been offended.”

However, Cumming’s final sentence left much to be desired for many.

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Although the program was broadcast on a two-hour delay, the insult was kept from the BBC broadcast and remained on the network’s streaming service, BBC iPlayer, until the entire program was pulled.

Representatives of the BBC apologized for the live broadcast and said that the caption “came from nonsense related to Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the event it was not intentional.”

Robert Aramayo, the actor who played Davidson in I sweartold BBC News after the awards show, “[Tourette syndrome] It’s not yelling obscenities, it’s not abuse, it’s Tourette’s and they’re tics.”

The National Institute for Health defines the disorder as “a neurological disorder that may cause sudden, unwanted and uncontrollable movements or vocalizations called tics. TS is one of a growing group of nervous system disorders called tic disorders.”

Not all people with Tourette Syndrome have verbal tics that are triggered by swear words or slurs, according to the Tourette Association of America.

“Coprolalia, the involuntary use of offensive language, affects about 10% of people with Tourette Syndrome (TS), although it is often exaggerated in media portrayals,” according to the TAA website. “Research suggests that coprolalia may be underreported due to stigma, suggesting that it may affect a higher percentage of people with TS than the 10% commonly cited.”

While most attendees at the BAFTAs agreed that the insults were not intended, others expressed frustration at the way the matter was handled.

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