BBC upholds complaints over racial slur in Baftas broadcast
The BBC’s executive complaints unit (ECU) confirmed that a racial slur, shouted during the Bafta Film Awards, violated the corporation’s editorial standards. The incident occurred in February when a Tourette syndrome advocate unintentionally uttered the slur while actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting a category. The unedited moment was included in the TV broadcast, which aired on BBC One two hours after the event. The ceremony also remained accessible on iPlayer until the following day.
ECU findings on editorial oversight
BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips stated that the ECU concluded the incident “should not have made it to air” and “was a clear breach of our editorial standards.” However, she emphasized that the error was not deliberate. The ECU received numerous complaints about the coverage and upheld those linked to harm and offence. Phillips noted the team “did not hear the n-word at the time it was said” and thus “no decision was taken to leave the word in the broadcast.”
“The ECU accepted this was a genuine mistake, especially as the team did correctly identify and edit out a subsequent use of the same word, in line with protocols agreed beforehand regarding offensive language,” Phillips added.
Impact and BBC’s response
The ECU called the delay in removing the unedited recording from iPlayer a “serious mistake,” highlighting how it worsened the effect of the inadvertent inclusion. Phillips explained that there was confusion among the team about whether the slur was audible, leading to a delay in taking action. She reiterated that the BBC “must learn from our mistakes” and has implemented measures to strengthen pre-event planning and iPlayer takedown procedures.
“There was a lack of clarity… the unedited version stayed up overnight made the severe impact of the inadvertent inclusion of the n-word worse,” Phillips said.
Other complaints dismissed
While the ECU upheld the racial slur issue, it rejected many complaints about the BBC editing the phrase “Free Palestine” from an acceptance speech. Director Akinola Davies Jr said the remark while receiving the best debut award for *My Father’s Shadow*. His brother Wale, the film’s writer, joined him on stage for two-and-a-half minutes, but the speeches were condensed to one minute for broadcast. The ECU supported this as a necessary time constraint.
“The production team’s decision did not hinge on considerations of impartiality. The principal consideration was that approximately three hours of recorded material had to be edited to fit a two-hour transmission slot,” the report concluded.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy described the incident as “completely unacceptable and harmful,” while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch labeled it a “horrible mistake.” Bafta host Alan Cumming also apologised for the “trauma-triggering” nature of the show. Wunmi Mosaku, who appeared in *Sinners*, shared that the BBC’s failure to remove slurs had “kept me awake at night and brought tears to my eyes.” Davidson, the Tourette’s activist, questioned why he was seated near a microphone, stating the BBC “should have worked harder to prevent anything I said from being aired.”
