CUT OUT

BBC Edited Political BAFTA Speech Over ‘Time Constraints’

“Derry Girls” star Siobhan McSweeney slammed leaders’ “ignorance” and “stupidity.”

The BBC says it cut a strongly worded political statement during a BAFTA acceptance speech from its coverage of the ceremony on Sunday because of “time constraints.” While accepting the award for best female comedy performance, Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney praised the people of Derry in Northern Ireland for encompassing “the spirit of compromise and resilience despite the indignities, ignorance, and stupidity of your so-called leaders in Dublin, Stormont, and Westminster,” referring to the respective governments of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The comment was not included during the BBC’s broadcast of the ceremony. “As in previous years, due to the nature of the show it is broadcast with a short delay, and while we always aim to keep the core sentiment of acceptance speeches, edits have to be made due to time constraints,” a BBC spokesperson told Variety.