BAFTA Responds to Controversy Over Racial Slur During Awards Ceremony
BAFTA Addresses Incident at 79th Awards Ceremony
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has issued a statement following backlash from its 79th awards ceremony held in London on February 22. During the event, actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award when an audience member, John Davidson, who is an activist for Tourette's syndrome, inadvertently shouted a racial slur. This incident occurred while Davidson's biopic, I Swear, was nominated for multiple awards. Although Davidson left the ceremony early, the offensive remark was still included in the tape-delayed broadcast and remained available on the BBC’s iPlayer. BAFTA has since expressed that they promptly raised concerns with the broadcaster to have the slur removed, and an internal investigation at the BBC is being expedited.
Concerns Raised by BAFTA Regarding Broadcast
Reports indicate that BAFTA notified the BBC about the incident shortly after it happened. A representative from BAFTA communicated with both the BBC and the producers at Penny Lane TV regarding the racial slur. However, despite this warning, the slur was not edited out of the broadcast and remained on the BBC’s iPlayer until it was eventually taken down. It took several hours for the British broadcaster to issue an apology for this significant oversight.
BAFTA clarified that they had adequately informed the BBC, emphasizing that it was the broadcaster's responsibility to ensure compliance with UK broadcasting regulations concerning offensive language during the awards ceremony, which aired with a two-hour delay. The BBC's delayed response has faced criticism from various quarters.
BBC Launches Internal Investigation
The BBC has acknowledged that their failure to remove the slur constitutes a “serious mistake,” and they have initiated a fast-tracked internal investigation. According to a report from Deadline, there was some confusion behind the scenes regarding which of Davidson’s Tourette's tics needed to be omitted. Both BAFTA and the BBC have issued apologies for their handling of the situation.
In the meantime, Davidson, who has found himself at the center of this controversy, expressed that the BBC could have taken additional measures to prevent the slur from being aired. He also questioned why a microphone was positioned so close to him. BAFTA officials later explained to Variety that the microphone was not intended to amplify sound for the broadcast but was instead an analyzer mic used to monitor sound levels in the room for equalization purposes.