John Davidson Reportedly Used N-Word Not Once, But Twice During BAFTA Ceremony Targeted Toward a Different Celeb

John Davidson reportedly shouted a racial slur at BAFTA nominee Wunmi Mosaku during the live broadcast of the BAFTA Film Awards, prompting a major response from the BBC. The incident occurred after Davidson had already involuntarily used the N-word earlier in the ceremony at stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan.

BBC Director General Tim Davie sent a letter to the UK’s Culture, Media & Sport Committee outlining the chain of events. He explained that the team handling the live broadcast initially did not realize there were two separate instances of the slur. While the slur directed at Mosaku was edited out of the televised program, confusion about the first instance led to it remaining on BBC iPlayer for 15 hours after the ceremony.

“Our understanding at this point is that the team editing the show in the truck mistakenly believed they had edited out the incident that was being referenced, on the basis that they had heard and edited out the slur shouted out during the Best Supporting Actress award,” Davie wrote. He added that the on-site team initially believed the slur was not audible in the broadcast, which delayed its removal from iPlayer.

The BBC’s Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips also addressed staff internally, acknowledging the impact of the incident. “The incident has caused much upset and hurt,” she said. Phillips confirmed she had been in touch with BAFTA and staff throughout the week and planned listening sessions with BBC diversity networks, including BBC Ability, BBC Enigma, and BBC Embrace.

“I’m so very sorry that this has happened. It goes without saying that we treat all complaints with the utmost seriousness, and of course we will be reviewing our own internal processes,” she added.

Davie noted that the BBC is reviewing why the team did not recognize both instances of the slur sooner and why corrective action on iPlayer was delayed. The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit is investigating further, and Davie said lessons had already been learned, referencing previous incidents like the Glastonbury Bob Vylan controversy as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen editorial oversight.

The incident has drawn attention from outside the BBC as well. Reports say Warner Bros. executives expressed frustration with the broadcaster over the handling of the situation during a tense meeting.

This episode highlights the challenges of live broadcasting and the need for rapid response to sensitive content. It also underscores the importance of proper editorial oversight to prevent offensive material from being broadcast or remaining online for extended periods.

While live events can be unpredictable, the BBC’s delayed action shows that even experienced broadcasters need more robust checks. It’s crucial that lessons are learned to prevent similar incidents.

What do you think about how the BBC handled this? Share your thoughts in the comments.