We’re still talking about the BAFTA fiasco, which unfolded two Sundays ago. John Davidson, a man with Tourette’s, was invited to the BAFTAs because I Swear, a British film based on his life, was nominated for multiple BAFTA awards. Davidson later said that he had faith that BAFTA would protect him, and he was happy to be placed forty rows from the stage, because he hoped that if he ticced, no one up front would hear him. Unfortunately, it feels like BAFTA placed some sort of microphone close to Davidson (they deny this), but microphone or not, the Black artists in the room heard Davidson tic the n-word repeatedly before he removed himself from the auditorium. BAFTA host Alan Cumming then offered a bullsh-t apology and the BBC aired one of Davidson’s racist slurs, even though the BBC had a two-hour delay to clean it up. BAFTA org f–ked up from start to finish, and their executives refused to even speak to or comfort Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Hannah Beachler during or after the awards show.
Per reporting around this fiasco, only one person associated with BAFTA has resigned in protest. That person is Jonte Richardson, a Black filmmaker who had a seat on a BAFTA emerging-talent panel. No one else has resigned or been fired, and BAFTA is still in ass-covering mode as they try and fail to blame everything on the BBC. Well, on Wednesday, BAFTA’s “inclusion committee” apparently had their first meeting about the catastrophe. Within Deadline’s reporting, they also reveal some new information: apparently, Davidson also said the n-word when Wunmi Mosaku won her BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.
BAFTA’s inclusion committee is set to meet today for the first time since the arts charity was plunged into crisis over the N-word incident at the film awards last month. The Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee will assemble on Wednesday, and two sources said that BAFTA’s handling of John Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs was on the agenda for the meeting.
People familiar with the matter said there was some disquiet among committee members about the events of February 22, when tourette’s campaigner Davidson shouted the N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. Their Sinners co-star Wunmi Mosaku was also subjected to the racial slur when she collected her Supporting Actress prize.
There is concern that the inclusion committee, and BAFTA’s disability advisory group, were not consulted about best practice for Davidson’s attendance. There is a feeling that the incident has not reflected well on the groups’ influence at BAFTA.
One member described the situation as a “mess,” while another expected feelings to be running high when the inclusion committee gathers.
Chaired by Ade Rawcliffe, ITV’s chief people officer, BAFTA’s inclusion committee is made up of industry representatives. The disability advisory group is a sub-committee of the Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee. It is chaired by Sam Tatlow, ITV’s head of diversity.
BAFTA has apologized for the events at the film awards and is currently reviewing the incident. There has been some concern that Davidson did not have the support he required on the night, but the charity did engage an access producer, access coordinator, and a wellbeing coordinator. Davidson, who removed himself from the auditorium after his interruptions, also had additional support from StudioCanal.
Once again, I’m aghast at BAFTA prioritizing John Davidson over Black artists in the room. Two issues can coexist: one, Davidson was exploited and poorly served by BAFTA; two, it is simply catastrophic that racist slurs were screamed in that room, and no one thought to show comfort, concern or care for the Black artists on the receiving end of the slurs. And now we know that a Black British actress, a pregnant woman, also had to hear the racist slur as she won her first BAFTA Film Award. What’s also shocking is that after this Deadline story, there’s been nothing – no follow-up, no statement from BAFTA’s Inclusion committee. I guess no statements need to be made if the plan is to circle the wagons and hope that this controversy just disappears in a few weeks.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Screencap courtesy of ABC.
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- Wunmi Mosaku in the winners’ press room at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK, 22 February 2026.,Image: 1077465594, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- Celebs attend the 79th BAFTA British Academy Film Awards,Image: 1077508138, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Michael B. Jordan, Credit line: Phil Lewis/Wenn/Avalon
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- Michael B. Jordan at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards held at The Royal Festival Hall,Image: 1077536503, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Lounis Tiar/Avalon
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- Wunmi Mosaku poses in the press room at the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 – Winners Press Room on Sunday 22 February 2026 at Royal Festival Hall, London. Wunmi Mosaku is pictured with the award for Supporting Actress.,Image: 1077547785, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Julie Edwards/Avalon.Red, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards/Avalon
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- Dottie Achenbach and John Davidson attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank in London, England, UK on Sunday 22 February, 2026.,Image: 1077651864, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/Retna/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- 79th British Academy Film Awards, at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre Featuring: Alan Cumming Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Feb 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Celebrities arrive at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards at Royal Festival Hall, London Featuring: John Davidson Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Feb 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Celebrities arrive at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards at Royal Festival Hall, London Featuring: John Davidson Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Feb 2026 Credit: Cover Images
This is so British. I’m sorry, I come here to vent, because so much of what makes the headlines echoes in outsized dimensions *exactly* the same type of self-inflicted, tone-deaf, cack-handed, ham-fisted, over-wrought, self-important, smug posturing that you see from second-rate people here *every* day, in so many settings. I once apologised for asking a man working in a children’s shoe store for the wrong size, observing, I hadn’t realised my son’s feet had grown so dramatically, and didn’t know his size, to which the man responded with operatic baritone British condescension: “I wouldn’t expect you to, Madame.” With an indulgent nod. He brought the right size. It wasn’t passive aggressive. It was just — British. Of course I didn’t know. I didn’t even feel offended. They say pure diplomacy is being able to tell someone to go to hell in such a way, they ask for directions. It’s like that. But he had that certain special something. A lot of people try to pull rank only to fall flat on their own faces.
They have an inclusion committee? That in itself is laughable.
They do NOW. There’s a reason you never heard of it until more than a week after the award show.
It sounds like they do have an inclusion committee but that it was maybe not even consulted about his attendance. And that there’s also a disability advisory group and that they too were not even consulted about it. As in the BAFTAs have these committees but just didn’t consult with them at all??? That’s how I read it but maybe I’m misunderstanding.
I know, right??? Like. It’s a niche. Come on……. It just proves their default setting is…. Pale, male, stale. They make room for the ladies sometimes. But it’s an altered view. Like, they’re indulging you.
Can you imagine?
A room full of white men in their 50′ and in suits asking each other “what is inclusion? How can we be more inclusive?”.
The end.
Lol, Eleonor! So true. Then, they’ll release a statement about how great they are for even having the discussion.
I was perusing some British dominant comment spaces about this drama after it happened, and honestly it was absolutely striking to me, the gulf that exists between American and British reactions and understanding of the event. They really, genuinely believe that Tourette’s cancels out any justified offense or hurt people would feel upon having to deal with racial slurs yelled at them during a work event that was meant to recognize them for greatness in their industry, and that the only victim in the whole drama blowing up was John Davidson.
It’s because the insults are never directed at *them* …even the language itself, the institutions that uphold “values” that are encoded in said language, the customs, codes, habits, culture…. All of it is hostage to white supremacy & patriarchy. Now, I am conscious of my privilege. I’m a white affluent woman who came to the UK to work at an investment bank. I’m a SAHM. I live in a leafy borough. It’s great. But I’m *still* pissed about this. I mean. Come onnnnnnnnn guys. The funniest thing is to read the Spectator — as I do — and pick up on the whinging the guys do when they feel piqued. Like, try just telling a white man over 50, “Okay, Boomer.” Without malice. Larky. Happy. And watch him turn bright red and sputter. Delingpole wrote an entire column about it. Imagine.
Off topic, who is that woman and why is she wearing a “Spunk for Milk” necklace?!
She is Dottie Achenbach a real life Tourettes supporter who is also a character in the movie I Swear. The necklace is in reference to a line in the movie where John Davidson says he uses spunk for milk.
Its interesting that the hateful slur appeared to be only directed at Black people, and not people in general, and we’re only just now hearing that the slur was ticced at a pregnant Black female actor while she was accepting her award. So yeah, while Davidson appeared to be deliberately set up, he knew he had ticced 10 times, so he knew who he had affected/offended. Yet he still hasn’t directly apologized to the 4 (but likely more than 4) Black people he directly offended. Again, no one’s asking him to apologize for his medical condition. We’re asking him to apologize for hurling a racial slur that hurt and humiliated those directly subjected to it, one of whom was a pregnant woman. As we would ask of anyone else.
This new bs proves BAFTA still doesn’t get it! Davidson, and how it affected him, continues to be centered while Black people (the now 4 Black professionals the slur was directed at: Mr. Lindo, Mr. Jordan, Ms. Beachler, and Ms. Mosaku, the attendees, and the global viewers) are still ignored. Where are the regulatory agencies and what are they doing to address this? Why is the global statesman/BAFTA Prez still silent? With everyone in CYA mode it will be a while before (if?) we get the truth. In the meantime…Let the backlash and dragging continue!
I do object to his picture being used to represent the racist fiasco. His illness and tics are real. The fault is in the mic so close to him, the lack of editing, the lack of reaching out by bafta, the delay in their response entirely. He’s not the face nor the power behind the racism of that organization.
He is the person who yelled the slurs. As the commenter above said, it took him a good minute to apologize (barely, imo) to lindo and jackson. And he still hasnt apologized to the others. He could at minimum acknowledge the damage he caused, even if it was not intentional. I dont mind him still being the face. Tho BAFTA and BBC still need much more heat.
He has still not apologized to the other people he yelled slurs at. It took him days to acknowledge lindo and jackson, that first statement was trash. He is also thw one who yelled the slurs. I am fine with him being the “face” tho I do agree BAFTA and BBC need more heat on them.
I have such conflicting feelings about all of this.
the horror of what the Black actors endured still lingers. those words can not ever be taken back, or even really mitigated (not that anyone has tried, actually)
I am a strong advocate for inclusion and accommodation for people with disabilities. that said, you are-and must be-responsible for your words and actions and their impact on others.
if you hit someone with your car, and it kills them, even if it was an accident, they aren’t any less dead. Mr. Davidson’s team *should* have ensured that he was not located near a microphone, should have been much more observant of his actions, and taken steps to ensure that this didn’t happen.
This is mostly on the BBC and BAFTA, but given the warnings issued at the start of the broadcast about Davidson’t behavior, one would think that they knew it was coming and yet did nothing to prevent it. Maybe because they though it might make the broadcast more entertaining?