Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, whose life inspired Bafta-nominated film I Swear, issued a statement after he made an involuntary tic when Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting an award
John Davidson said he’s “deeply mortified” following an incident where he involuntarily shouted a racial slur at the BAFTAs on Sunday evening. During the ceremony, as Delroy Lindo, 73, and Michael B Jordan, 39 – both stars of the vampire horror Sinners – were presenting the special visual effects award, he was heard involuntarily shouting the N-word from the auditorium.
In a statement released on Monday evening, John said: “I wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and for inviting me to attend the broadcast.
“I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs.
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“I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.
“In addition to the announcement by (show host) Alan Cumming, the BBC and Bafta, I can only add that I am, and always have been, deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
John further explained: “I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits, and manifestations of Tourette’s Syndrome.
“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.
“I chose to leave the auditorium early in the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
Delroy said he and his co-host “did what he had to do” – but he wishes “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards”.
BAFTA went on to release a statement. A spokesperson said: “At the BAFTA Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.
“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.
“We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony. “Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism. “During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him. “We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”
During the broadcast, the awards ceremony’s presenter Alan Cumming issued an apology for the language viewers may hear.
A BBC spokesperson added this afternoon: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
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