John Davidson, the Tourette syndrome (TS) activist at the centre of the Baftas N-word controversy, says that Bafta and the BBC “should have been aware of what to expect” from TS, and that he had been told that any offensive words would be removed.
In an interview with Variety, Davidson said that Bafta had told him “that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast”. He said: “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.” I Swear’s backers StudioCanal confirmed to the Guardian they had also been told by Bafta that swearing would be removed.
Davidson added: “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.”
Davidson was at the Baftas ceremony as the film I Swear, which was inspired by his life story, was nominated for a number of awards, and was heard shouting several times during the event before leaving the auditorium partway through the evening. The BBC, which broadcast the ceremony on a two-hour delay, and Bafta, have faced considerable criticism for failing to edit out Davidson’s audible shout of the N-word while Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting an award.
Davidson said he felt “a wave of shame” over the incident: “Those who have seen I Swear will understand this. My tics have said and done things over the years that have caused huge pain and upset … Tourette’s can make my body or voice do things I don’t mean, and sometimes those tics land on the worst possible words. I want to be really clear that the intent behind them is zero.”
Davidson said: “I can’t begin to explain how upset and distraught I have been as the impact from Sunday sinks in.” He added: “I want people to know and understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe. It’s an involuntary neurological misfire. My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.”
Variety reported that Davidson has contacted Sinners’ studio Warner Bros to personally apologise to Jordan, Lindo and the production designer Hannah Beachler who also reported hearing an N-word directed at her.
Davidson added that he did not want the focus to be solely on this particular slur, saying that he would “appreciate reports of the event explaining that I ticced perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards”. He added: “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.”
As an example, Davidson explained why he had shouted the word “paedophile” while event host Alan Cumming made a joke about Paddington Bear. “On Sunday, Alan Cumming joked about his own sexuality and, when referencing Paddington Bear, said, ‘Maybe you would like to come home with me, Paddington. It wouldn’t be the first time I have taken a hairy Peruvian bear home with me.’ This resulted in homophobic tics from me and led to a shout of ‘paedophile’ that was likely triggered because Paddington Bear is a children’s character.”
The fallout has been considerable, with the BBC and Bafta both apologising at length and the latter announcing a “comprehensive review” into what went wrong, Bafta judge Jonte Richardson resigning after calling the organisation’s handling of the incident “utterly unforgivable”, and Warner Bros claiming both organisations failed to act after they had alerted them to the issue.
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