Iconic actress Maxine Peake has spoken out about the BAFTA 2026 incident which caused outrage globally when actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo had an N-word racial slur shouted at them on stage
I Swear actress Maxine Peake has revealed her co-star John Davidson was “knocked for six” after the Bafta incident that sparked global debate earlier this year. The BBC apologised in February for not editing a racial slur out of its Bafta coverage after Davidson, who has Tourette’s syndrome, shouted the N-word as Black actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award on stage.
Questions were raised about why the moment was not edited out of the BBC One broadcast, which was shown on a two-hour delay. “I felt that none of the communities in that room were taken care of,” Peake declared when asked her thoughts on the incident during a Q&A on Saturday.
“I thought there was a failure of duty of care to the actors. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to hear that word. And to John as well. I don’t think it was explained enough about his condition – obviously, that’s what the film [I Swear] was about! But you can’t expect people to know if they don’t know.”
Peake, who starred in the 2025 movie inspired by Davidson’s life, I Swear, added: “I just felt everyone in that room was let down on that day, and big lessons have to be learned from it. I messaged John afterwards, and he was absolutely devastated – it really knocked him for six.
“It was a really sad, sad, distressing event for everyone in the room, but particularly the two groups of people who were affected the most, which were John and the actors. I felt very sad that it had gotten to the point where that happened.”
Davidson, who was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to people with Tourette’s Syndrome, said at the time that he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.
“I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so,” he said in a statement the day after the incident.
Peake was speaking as a guest of honour at the Sheffield Documentary Festival. In conversation with filmmaker Paul Sng, the Bolton-born star discussed how working-class voices are represented in the media and on screen in the age of populism.
The Shameless actress shared on stage she fears far-right movements are targeting working-class voters, musing that “the left dropped the ball a long time ago” and should be in communities offering the disenfranchised hope.
“But we’ve done so much in struggling on the left – it’s been so disparate. We’re really realising that this is last chance saloon – it’s really dangerous, dangerous times.”
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