Delroy Lindo said he would have liked the BAFTA Awards to handle things differently after an attendee with Tourette’s syndrome yelled a racial epithet at him and his co-star Michael B. Jordan during Sunday night’s broadcast.
Lindo, 73, told Variety he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”
The Oscar-nominated actor’s remarks come after John Davidson, who was in attendance to support the BAFTA-nominated biopic I Swear about his life, yelled the N-word as Lindo and Jordan presented the award for best visual effects. Clips from the broadcast show Lindo and Jordan briefly pause before continuing the presentation.
Notably, the Film Awards aired on a two-hour tape delay, offering ample time to edit out the slur before it aired on BBC One. The slur could also still be heard on the BBC iPlayer until Monday morning, according to Deadline.
The BBC came under fire, prompting an apology to the general public. “We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast, and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer,” the BBC said in a statement on Monday.
“Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette’s syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony, it was not intentional.”
Alan Cummings, the evening’s host, thanked the audience for their understanding during the broadcast. “You may have noticed some strong language in the background,” Cummings said. “This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience.” He added later, “We apologize if you were offended.”
Sinners’ production designer Hannah Beachler called the statement a “throwaway apology” in a post on X. “Of course we were offended,” she added. “This did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”
Multiple sources told Variety that neither BAFTA nor the BBC warned attendees in advance that Davidson’s condition might cause outbursts during the show.
In addition to the N-word, Davidson also involuntarily shouted “shut the f--- up” during an introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt, and “f--- you” when the directors of Boong accepted the award for best children’s and family film, according to Variety.
Others told the site that floor managers warned those sitting around Davidson during the awards, but didn’t specify what types of outbursts may occur.
Robert Aramayo won the Best Actor prize for his portrayal of Davidson in I Swear, a film that chronicles his life with Tourette’s, a condition that causes vocal tics.
Lindo said the one thing he would have liked was some direct acknowledgement from BAFTA after the fact, but he and Jordan “did what we had to do.”
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners received 13 BAFTA nominations, making it the most-nominated film by a Black director in the awards body’s history. The film took home three awards, for Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Score, and Best Original Screenplay—the first win for a Black person in the latter category.
