BBC apologizes for racist comments from audience during BAFTAs

It was John Davidson, a Scottish activist who is trying to raise awareness of Tourette syndrome, who started swearing loudly several times during the awards ceremony. Davidson’s life served as a model for the film I swearand the actor who played him, Robert Aramayo, even won prizes at the BAFTAs.

Throwaway apology

According to Hannah Beachler, production designer for the also celebrated SinnersDavidson used racist language three times on Sunday evening, including towards herself and another black woman. “I fully understand and realize why this is an impossible situation. I know we have to persevere. But what made the situation worse was the throwaway apology of ‘if you felt offended’ at the end of the show,” she wrote on I’m not made of steel, this won’t bounce off me, but I’m above it. It doesn’t take away from who I am as an artist.”

“It’s crazy that the initial reaction wasn’t one of unequivocal apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan,” said Wendell Pierce, who co-stars with Jordan in Sinners. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter what the reason is behind the racist curses.” Fellow actor Jamie Foxx called Davidson’s statements on social media “unacceptable” and even questioned whether the insults could be attributed to his disability: “Nah, he meant that sh*t.”

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The ceremony was broadcast on BBC One with a two-hour delay, but the public broadcaster still decided not to intervene. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservatives, stated on Monday morning that the public broadcaster had committed “a horrible mistake”. “I think an apology is important, they need to explain why this wasn’t edited out.”

On Monday morning, the BBC’s BAFTAs broadcast was removed from its iPlayer. A spokesperson apologized for not censoring Davidson’s exclamation and promised that an edited version would follow. According to the public broadcaster, the exclamation was audible in the broadcast, but many viewers may have had difficulty understanding the word.

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The BBC received a lot of criticism last summer for not intervening in the broadcast of the Glastonbury festival, when the British punk band “Death to the IDF (the israeli army, ed.)” chanted. Striking: when actor Akinola Davies Jr chanted “Free Palestine” after his acceptance speech on Sunday evening, it was removed from the broadcast.