John Davidson told 'swearing would be edited out' of Baftas before N-word incident

"StudioCanal were working closely with Bafta, and Bafta had made us all aware that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast. 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 from being included in the broadcast."

"While host Alan Cumming explained to the audience that 'a person with Tourette syndrome' was in the crowd and that he had 'no control over his language', the racial slur was not edited out of the show when it was broadcast on a delay later that evening."

John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner whose story inspired the film I Swear, experienced involuntary outbursts including a racial slur while attending the Bafta Film Awards ceremony. Host Alan Cumming informed the audience about Davidson's condition and lack of control over his language. Despite being told by StudioCanal and Bafta that offensive involuntary tics would be edited from the broadcast, the slur was not removed when the show aired on delay. Warner Bros immediately flagged concerns with Bafta during the ceremony and received assurances the content would be removed. Davidson criticized the awards body and BBC for insufficient preparation, noting his prior documentary work with the BBC should have informed their awareness of Tourette syndrome manifestations.

Read at The Independent