Warner Bros. was quick to react following the BAFTA Film Awards N-word controversy on Sunday but reportedly saw their concerns ignored.
According to a well-positioned source speaking to Variety, once Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson’s made the involuntary outburst while “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the first award of the night, execs from the studio immediately raised the issue with BAFTA and requested that the incident be removed from BBC’s time-delayed broadcast going out later that night.
The source also noted that the Warner Bros. execs — who were in contact with BAFTA throughout Sunday evening and met with them on Monday — had been assured that the request had been passed on.
However, the broadcast aired with the racial slur not edited out, sparking further outrage, and prompting an apology from BBC. But the BBC’s claim that the producers had been unaware what was said until after it has aired has now been called into question following the source’s account of proceedings. Many commentators online have also cast doubt over how and why such an incident — which was audible in the ceremony room — would not be immediately relayed to the producers of the TV show.
The incident — and the handling of it by both the BBC and BAFTA — has sparked a firestorm of anger that continues to reverberate. Late on Monday, BAFTA put out a statement in which it said that it took “full responsibility” for putting its “guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.” It also said it wanted to “apologise unreservedly” to Jordan and Lindo. “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism,” it said.