BBC upholds complaints over racial slur in Baftas broadcast

BBC upholds complaints over racial slur in Baftas broadcast

Racial slur breach deemed unintentional but still a violation

The BBC’s executive complaints unit (ECU) confirmed that the inclusion of a racial slur during the Bafta Film Awards broadcast violated the corporation’s editorial standards. The incident occurred in February when a Tourette syndrome advocate inadvertently used the n-word while actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were hosting a category. The unedited moment aired on BBC One with a two-hour delay and remained accessible on iPlayer until the following day.

“The ECU found this should not have made it to air and it was a clear breach of our editorial standards,” said Kate Phillips, BBC’s chief content officer. She added that the breach was “not intentional,” emphasizing the team’s lack of awareness at the time.

The ECU received numerous complaints about the BBC’s coverage, with the unit supporting those related to harm and offence. Phillips noted the production team had “correctly identified and edited out a subsequent use of the same word,” aligning with pre-established protocols for handling offensive language. However, the delay in removing the unedited clip from iPlayer was deemed a “serious mistake” that amplified the impact of the incident.

“There was a lack of clarity among the team as to whether the word was audible on the recording,” Phillips explained. “This led to a delay in taking the recording down, which the ECU described as worsening the severity of the inadvertent inclusion.”

John Davidson, the Tourette’s activist who uttered the slur, criticized the BBC for not “working harder to prevent anything I said” from being broadcast. He had been seated near a microphone during the ceremony, where his film *I Swear* was nominated and won three awards. Director Kirk Jones called Davidson “let down” by the sequence of events.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy described the broadcast as “completely unacceptable and harmful,” while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch labeled it a “horrible mistake.” Host Alan Cumming apologized after the “trauma-triggering” event.

Separately, the ECU dismissed complaints about the BBC editing “Free Palestine” from an acceptance speech. Director Akinola Davies Jr had said the phrase during his speech for best debut, *My Father’s Shadow*. His brother Wale, the film’s writer, and Davies Jr spoke for two-and-a-half minutes, but their remarks were condensed to one minute for broadcast. The ECU accepted the BBC’s explanation that time constraints drove the edit, not bias.

Phillips emphasized the need for the BBC to “learn from our mistakes” and improve pre-event planning, live production, and iPlayer takedown procedures. She also apologized directly to Lindo, Jordan, and Mosaku, as well as Davidson, acknowledging the emotional toll the incident took on some participants.