BBC finally reveals why Baftas N-word slur wasn't edited out of broadcast

Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were subjected to the N-word while presenting an award at the Baftas (Picture: Getty Images for BAFTA) The BBC’s director general Tim Davie has explained how the N-word slur came to be aired during the Baftas 2026 last month. The corporation has faced immense backlash after Sinners actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were subjected to the racial slur while presenting at the awards. The N-word was shouted involuntarily by campaigner John Davidson, who has Tourette’s syndrome, and who has since apologised for the offence caused. Viewers heard the slur after the channel failed to edit it out from its BBC One broadcast on February 22, and the ceremony was even left available to watch on BBC iPlayer for several hours until the following afternoon. It has now emerged that the N-word was also shouted for a second time during the ceremony when Sinners actress Wunmi Mosaku was on stage accepting her best supporting actress award, although this particular incident did not air.  With questions mounting over the events, Davie sent a response letter to Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee, after they ‘sought an explanation’ for how a racial slur ended up in the broadcast ‘in spite of a two-hour time delay.’  Davie wrote according to PA: ‘I’d like to make clear: although the racial slur was symptomatic of a disability and an involuntary tic, it should never have been broadcast. It was a genuine mistake, and we take full responsibility for our error.  The Sinners actors, who did not react in the moment, have been praised for their professionalism (Picture: BAFTA via Getty Images) John Davidson, who shouted the slur, has Tourette’s syndrome and has since apologised, saying how ‘mortified’ he was (Picture: Rex Features) ‘Although this is the subject of ongoing review, our initial evidence gathering has found that no one in the on-site broadcast truck heard this when they were watching the live feed. ‘Because no one in the broadcast truck was aware it was on the live feed, there was therefore no editorial decision made to leave the language in.’  Addressing the removal of the slur shouted towards Mosaku, Davie explained: ‘In that instance, the edit team did hear the racial slur on the feed and removed it immediately from the version of the ceremony that would be broadcast later that evening. ‘These two incidents happened within 10 minutes of each other. It appears that soon after the second incident, the edit team in the truck started receiving reports, including from Bafta, that a racial slur had been shouted during the ceremony. ‘Our understanding at this point is that the team editing the show in the truck mistakenly believed they had edited out the incident that was being referenced, on the basis that they had heard and edited out the slur shouted out during the best supporting actress award.’  {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Double Bafta winner Robert Aramayo calls for 'grace' towards Tourette's","duration":"T1M30S","thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/02\/23\/07\/106596831-0-image-a-1_1771833448711.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-02-23T07:47:43+0000","description":"'It's complicated and complex and it requires us to have grace.'","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/02\/23\/3664755219429149124\/480x270_MP4_3664755219429149124.mp4","height":480,"width":270} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); ‘Therefore, when they were told a racial slur had been shouted, they believed they had removed it.’ Davie explained that some of the edits that were made to the ceremony before its broadcast two hours later were ‘made in line with the protocols we had put in place in advance to deal with offensive language’.  He assured the corporation was investigating further as to why the team did not recognise the first instance of the N-word being used and why it was not edited or the programme removed from iPlayer until the following afternoon.  In his letter, Davie revealed that the BBC had an agreement with Bafta to ‘mitigate the risk’ of Davidson’s Tourette’s syndrome, which included briefing the audience about possible verbal tics and preparing a disclaimer for host Alan Cumming to read if offensive language was used.  He stated: ‘If there were any involuntary racial tics or hate speech, this would be edited out.’  Jordan and Lindo’s Sinners co-star Wunmi Mosaku was also subjected to the N-word from Davidson, but that was edited out of the BBC’s broadcast (Picture: BAFTA via Getty Images) Lindo, 73, said hours after the ceremony that he wished someone from Bafta or the BBC had spoken to him and Jordan, 39, about the language.  Mosaku, 39, has since said she was left in tears by it all and questioned the lack of ‘protection for everyone’, including Davidson.  ‘I was there and it was painful to have that celebration kind of really tainted for me,’ she told Entertainment Tonight.  ‘I have no hard feelings towards John Davidson at all. He has a condition. I feel like Bafta has a lot of lessons to learn.’  She added: ‘That’s one thing, and then the BBC is a whole other thing. That’s the bit that really kind of kept me awake at night and brought tears to my eyes. ‘I was like, you really chose to keep that in? I can’t understand it, and I’m not sure if I can forgive it.’ Bafta apologised after the film awards and said it took ‘full responsibility’ for putting its guests in a ‘difficult situation’, while Cumming, who hosted the ceremony, apologised for ‘all the pain Black people felt’. Got a story? If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.