The BBC has removed the BAFTA Film Awards from being available to stream on iPlayer after not cutting a racial slur from its tape-delayed broadcast on Sunday night.
The outburst came from John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner who was seated in the audience during the ceremony and is himself the subject of the biopic “I Swear.” Davidson’s condition causes him to produce involuntary vocal tics, one of which — the N-word — occurred as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to hand out the prize for best visual effects, ultimately won by “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Although the remark was barely audible amid the noise of the ceremony, it was picked up in the BBC’s coverage. What drew particular scrutiny was the fact that the broadcast operated on a two-hour tape delay before airing on BBC One and iPlayer — a buffer that editors would ordinarily use to catch and remove exactly this kind of material.
The corporation issued an apology on Sunday night, with a spokesperson stating: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologize for any offense caused by the language heard.”
Last summer, the BBC faced a major controversy after airing a Glastonbury Festival performance by punk rap duo Bob Vylan, during which the band led the crowd in a “Death to the IDF” chant on a live iPlayer stream. The footage remained online for more than five hours before being pulled. The fallout prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand answers from the BBC, and the corporation subsequently revised its livestreaming protocols in response.