Bafta judge quits over ‘utterly unforgivable’ handling of Tourette N-word incident
Film-maker Jonte Richardson cites ‘harm inflicted on both the black and disabled communities’, while New Black Film Collective and MP Dawn Butler criticise BBC’s failure to edit
A black British film-maker has said he will step down as a Bafta judge over the organisation’s handling of the incident during Sunday’s ceremony during which a Tourette syndrome campaigner shouted a racial slur while two black actors were on stage.
Sinners stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting the award for special visual effects when John Davidson, whose life story was adapted into the acclaimed film I Swear, shouted the N-word from the stalls. The actors continued with their presenting duties but appeared shocked.
The audience at the Royal Festival Hall had been briefed before the ceremony began that Davidson was in the audience and so might shout inappropriate language. The TV broadcast of the ceremony, which airs two hours after the live show, failed to edit out Davidson’s outburst, and did not include the forewarning that in-person attendees were offered.
Writing on LinkedIn, Jonte Richardson said: “After considerable soul-searching, I feel compelled to withdraw from the Bafta emerging talent judging panel. The organisation’s handling of the unfortunate Tourette’s N-word incident last night at the awards was utterly unforgivable. I cannot and will not contribute my time, energy and expertise to an organisation that has repeatedly failed to safeguard the dignity of its Black guests, members and the Black creative community.”
He added: “This is particularly unfortunate given that this year’s cohort boasts some incredible Black talent, especially one of my favourite shows of 2025, Just Act Normal.
“However, when an organisation like Bafta, with its own long history of systemic racism, refuses to acknowledge the harm inflicted on both the Black and disabled communities and offer an appropriate apology, remaining involved would be tantamount to condoning its behaviour.”
Richardson, a former musician who has worked with artists including Beyoncé, Denzel Washington and Queen Latifah, won the BBC Black Screen award in 1993 for his debut screenplay Johnny Was. Other credits include BBC series Babyfather, ITV’s The Bill and the film I Bring You Frankincense. He has served on the board of the BFI’s script factory and in 2003 co-founded the Alliance of Black Media Professionals UK.
Backlash to the incident has been considerable, with many figures across the industry criticising Bafta for not managing to balance the needs and sensitivities of their assorted guests and the BBC for failing to edit out the word from the telecast, which airs two hours after the live show.
Producers for the BBC indicated that the reason was because their team was “working from a truck” and “failed to hear” the word. However, outrage at its use had already been considerable on social media and it remains unclear why lines of communication between the broadcaster and Bafta failed.
Edits that were made included the call of “Free Palestine” from outstanding British debut winner Akinola Davies Jr, a joke by host Alan Cumming that suggested the US was in a state of dire peril and the word “piss”, used by best film winner Paul Thomas Anderson. The BBC later issued an apology and uploaded a re-edited version to iPlayer.
Labour MP Dawn Butler shared on X her letter to BBC acting director general Tim Davie asking for “urgent explanation” on why Davies Jr’s words were removed but Davidson’s slur remained.
The @BBC should never have aired the N-word racist slur, directed at @michaelb4jordan & @authenticdelroy.
— Dawn Butler ✊🏾💙 (@DawnButlerBrent) February 23, 2026
It had a two-hour delay!
This is painful & unforgivable.
I've requested an urgent explanation. pic.twitter.com/PuZuD6UI9e
“You could see the physical intake of breath from Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo as they composed themselves to continue, like the professionals they are,” she wrote. “That pain was repeated to millions of people, who were forced to witness this on TV.”
Butler’s concerns were shared by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who told ITV’s Good Morning Britain yesterday that Davidson’s use of the N-word “should have been bleeped” and that the BBC made “a horrible mistake”.
The New Black Film Collective meanwhile said the BBC’s failure to remove the word before initial broadcast was “a disgrace” and its subsequent action of uploading an edited version on Monday afternoon “inadequate” as the offending clip had “already circulated widely online”.
Ceremony host Cumming did make a reference to the outbursts during the ceremony which were preserved in the latter stage of the original telecast, saying: “Tourette syndrome is a disability, and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”
Yet many felt the wording of his statement was insufficient, with Sinners’ nominated production designer Hannah Beachler said on social media that she had also had a racial slur directed at her, and criticised what she called the “throwaway” apology. “I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throwaway apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show.”
This sentiment was echoed in a statement released on Tuesday from the New Black Film Collective, which said Cumming’s framing “diminishes the lived reality of racism. Black pain should never be treated as conditional or secondary.”
The body, which seeks to spotlight black excellence in the screen industries, expressed its “deep disappointment at the handling of the appalling racial slur” and urged “the BBC and Bafta to undertake a full review and commit to meaningful action to ensure Black artists, and Black audience members in the auditorium and at home, are not subjected to racial harm under any circumstance.”
Others criticised Bafta for not briefing those who would be taking to the podium individually beforehand, as well as for apparently not reaching out to Lindo and Jordan following the incident. Neither actor has formally responded to the events of the evening, but Vanity Fair reported that Lindo told their correspondent at an afterparty that he wished “someone from Bafta spoke to us afterwards”.
Bafta issued a long apology on Monday evening, in which it said it took “full responsibility” for putting its guests in a “difficult situation”.
“We will learn from this,” it said, “and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.” The statement acknowledged that Bafta’s guests “heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all,” it said.
To Jordan and Lindo, Bafta “apologise unreservedly” as well as “to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”
They also thanked Davidson for “his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him”.
Davidson himself also issued a statement on Monday saying he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”. He added: “I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
The activist watched the remainder of the ceremony from a screen backstage, where onlookers reported that he continued to verbally tic. Other talent at whom Davidson shouted obscenities while in the auditorium included Cumming, Bafta chair Sara Putt and the winners of Indian children’s and family film award Boong, who took to the stage alongside Paddington.