Tourettes campaigner breaks silence after racist Bafta slur as he’s left ‘deeply mortified’ following audience shout
TOURETTES campaigner John Davidson said he was mortified after sparking a race row by shouting out the N-word at the Baftas.
John later voluntarily left the ceremony amid shock at his swearing as Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were on stage presenting an award.
But the slur by John — whose life inspired the double gong-winning film I Swear — wasn’t cut from the BBC’s two-hour ceremony coverage at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Yesterday, bosses apologised and removed the episode from iPlayer.
Last night John insisted he was “mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.
And Bafta confirmed he left the room before the awards ended.
In statement the organisation said: “Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people.
“Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted.
“We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
“John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen and we would like to thank him for his consideration of others on what should have been a night of celebration for him.”
I Swear saw Robert Aramayo, 33, pick up Best Actor. It also won Best Casting.
Scottish-born John, 54, is a campaigner for Tourette sufferers and aged 16 was the subject of a BBC documentary, John’s Not Mad, about living with the condition, which leads some to shout swear words.
The Sun understands that Sunday night’s audience was not told a person with Tourette Syndrome was present.
Previously, at the Bafta TV awards, people have been warned in similar situations.
A source said: “Neither host Alan Cumming nor any of the Bafta team warned people — the apology and comments came after the outbursts.”
Cumming had said: “Tourette Syndrome is a disability. We apologise if you’re offended tonight.”
Hannah Beachler, the production designer on movie Sinners, said: “What made the situation worse was the throwaway apology of, ‘if you were offended’. Of course we were.”
It was reported BBC production staff did not hear the N-word — which meant it was left in the coverage.
However, a source added: “It was as loud and as clear as day.”
The corporation said: “Some may have heard strong and offensive language.
“This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette’s and, as explained during the ceremony, it was not intentional.
“We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast.”
The reality of living with Tourette syndrome
TOURETTE syndrome is a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics.
It usually starts during childhood, but the tics and other symptoms often improve after several years, and sometimes go away completely.
There’s no cure for Tourettes, but treatment can help manage symptoms.
The most common physical tics include:
- Blinking
- Eye rolling
- Grimacing
- Shoulder shrugging
- Jerking of the head or limbs
- Jumping
- Twirling
- Touching objects and other people
Examples of vocal tics include:
- Grunting
- Throat clearing
- Whistling
- Coughing
- Tongue clicking
- Animal sounds
- Saying random words and phrases
- Repeating a sound, word or phrase
- Swearing
Swearing is rare and only affects about 1 in 10 people with Tourettes.
Some people can control their tics for a short time in certain social situations, like in a classroom.
But this can be tiring, and someone may have a sudden release of tics when they return home.
Aidy Smith, who was diagnosed with Tourettes aged nine, said these are the most common misconceptions about the condition:
- It is a ‘swearing disease’ characterised by repeated bad language
- People with Tourette’s can’t succeed in the workplace
- It’s impossible to control your tics
- ‘Tourettes’ is a ‘dirty’ word
- It’s OK to make jokes about the condition because it isn’t serious
Source: NHS and Aidy Smith