Tourette's Campaigner 'Mortified' That Anyone Would Think Baftas N-Word Tic Was 'Intentional
Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson has issued a statement in response to the media furore surrounding an incident at this year’s Baftas.
On Sunday evening, John attended the awards show alongside the cast and crew of I Swear, a film based on his life story.
Variety reported that before the ceremony got underway, the event’s floor manager told guests that they “might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony”.
During the first award of the night, presented by Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, John experienced an involuntary tic and shouted the N-word from the audience.
Following the incident – which the BBC included in its coverage of the Baftas, despite it airing on a two-hour time delay – John spoke out in a statement shared by Deadline on Monday night.
He began: “I wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and 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. 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.”
John continued: “In addition to the announcement by 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.
“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 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.”
He added: “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
After Delroy Lindo expressed his disappointment at Bafta’s handling of the incident, the organisation issued a public apology to the Sinners actor and his co-star Michael B Jordan, accepting “full responsibility”.
In a statement to HuffPost UK, Bafta 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,” the statement continued. “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.”
Immediately after John’s initial tic, Baftas host Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their “understanding”, apologised later in the evening to anyone “if you are offended tonight”.