BBC Apologises After Racial Slur Aired During Bafta Broadcast

The BBC has apologised to staff after a racial slur was left unedited in its broadcast of Sunday’s Bafta film awards, as Bafta confirmed a “comprehensive review” into the incident.

In a note to employees, chief content officer Kate Phillips said she was “so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast” and acknowledged “how distressing this was”. Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson was heard shouting the N-word during the ceremony at London’s Royal Festival Hall as Sinners actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award.

Phillips said host Alan Cumming had addressed the possibility of involuntary verbal tics during the programme, but admitted that this did not “lessen the impact and upset”. She added, “The edit team removed another racial slur from the broadcast. This one was aired in error and we would never have knowingly allowed this to be broadcast. We take full responsibility for what happened,” and confirmed that “when I was made aware it was audible on iPlayer, I asked for it to be taken down”.

The original version was removed from the BBC website on Monday as criticism intensified. The broadcaster said producers had not heard the word while editing the delayed transmission, reportedly working from a truck.

Warner Bros, the studio behind Sinners, said it had raised concerns with Bafta during the ceremony and had been assured the request would be passed to the BBC for removal. In a letter to members, Bafta executives said a “comprehensive review” was under way. “We recognise this has impacted members in a multitude of ways,” the letter read. “We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.” Chair Sara Putt and chief executive Jane Millichip also apologised unreservedly to Lindo and Jordan, saying they took “full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation”.

Lindo later said he wished “someone from Bafta spoke to us afterward”. Davidson said he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.

Political reaction followed, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling it a “horrible mistake”, while Labour MP Dawn Butler described the broadcast as “an obvious bias” and a “failure of duty of care”, adding it was “painful and unforgivable”. She has written to outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie seeking an “urgent explanation”.

Film-maker Jonte Richardson resigned as a Bafta judge, calling the handling “utterly unforgivable” and saying: “I hope Bafta leadership comprehend the damage they and the BBC have caused.”

Separately, Google apologised after an AI-generated prompt linked to coverage of the incident invited users to “See more on” the N-word. A spokesperson said the company was “deeply sorry for this mistake. We’ve removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again.”

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