To think John Davidson and BAFTA owe an apology

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I have sympathy for anyone with Tourette’s. I genuinely do. It’s a difficult condition and I’m not for one second suggesting John Davidson is a bad person or that he chose to say what he said. But sympathy for a condition doesn’t mean the impact on others gets ignored.

Intent matters but so does impact. If I accidentally stand on someone’s foot I still say sorry, even though I didn’t mean to do it. “I didn’t mean it” and “I acknowledge I hurt you” are not mutually exclusive. I wouldn’t get annoyed at the suggestion of apologising simply because I didn’t mean it, so why is this different? Especially as it was a public stage in front of millions. I don’t expect John to apologise every day in normal interactions, but at such a public forum - he should. Michael B Jordan looked visibly devastated. It was so sad.

When he saw two Black men and the n-word came out — not H**ky at the white hosts for example, not some other neutral word, the n-word directed at Black people in the room — that caused real harm to real people. Tourette’s tics are shaped by what the brain reaches for as most “forbidden” in a given moment, and what it reached for when he saw two Black men was a racial slur aimed at them. That raises really uncomfortable questions about unconscious bias that most people would rather sidestep entirely.

It doesn’t make him a conscious racist. But it does make it a conversation worth having, because our unconscious associations don’t come from nowhere — they’re shaped by everything we’ve absorbed over a lifetime. That connotation being the first place his brain went is something that deserves acknowledgement, not just a pass because of the diagnosis. And as a POC, I have to be honest — this is heartbreaking. Not just the incident itself but what it represents.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to explain to white friends and colleagues that certain spaces feel uncomfortable, that you notice the stares, that you carry this constant low level awareness of how you might be being perceived. And so often the response is “you’re imagining it” or “you’re being too sensitive.” You get gaslit into doubting your own lived experience. Well — moments like this are exactly why it isn’t in our heads. This is the reality POC navigate every single day. Always on alert. Always doing that mental calculation of whether someone is judging you for the colour of your skin. That emotional labour is exhausting and largely invisible to people who’ve never had to carry it.

John thanking the audience for their “understanding” puts the burden entirely on those who were hurt to just get over it. That’s not the same as acknowledging the pain caused. AIBU to think a bit more than “thanks for understanding” was needed here — from both of them?

It’s difficult. I haven’t seen the film but want to watch it. I can understand how challenging Tourettes must be. The racial slurs made for uncomfortable viewing, it wasn’t just the N but also the P word. I realise he can’t control it and that he left early. I’m certain they have a slight delay so should have censored both out.

I think in his situation I would apologise with a lengthy explanation about the disability. Again, I know attendees were warned but I think as a BAME person standing on stage hearing N or P directed at you is pretty devastating.

He interacts with many new people that he's never met every single day?

As I said in another comment, I'm sure once you've explained to people, most of them will not be bothered if you do it again (or will avoid you if they are bothered), but when first interacting with people, personally I would apologise.

That's just me personally, but I would've thought most people would do so? I guess perhaps not.

But if you've already warned people "I might boop you on the nose at random, I can't help this and I mean no offence by it" would you then expect to have to apologise every time you did it to those people who've been given the heads up?

Because that's what happened here

But an acknowledgement isn't an apology

I don't think they need to do anything and I don't think they will do anything. It is not for black people to be constantly gracious and rise above.

No

I'm saying that your comment was wrong and didn't make sense.

John would have used homophobic slurs towards Alan and it would be horrific but it still wouldn't be his fault and it still wouldn't mean Alan had more right to be offended than Delroy or Michael or the Queen or anyone else

Which is what you're saying, "this person can't be offended by one term because that person had a worse one shouted at them"

Ok You are saying the N word is the same as fuck off. Yeah no. We can agree that JD not at fault but no!

I can see why black MN keeps away.

It’s quite obvious from your posts that you know very little about how hard life is for someone with Tourette’s as you keep comparing to your own experiences. Life is with Tourette’s is not comparable to a ‘normal’ life where we apologise for the odd mistake here and there. I can go days, weeks even, without doing something accidentally that warrants an apology, John often can’t even go minutes.

Another lengthy explanation?

He's spent his whole life giving "lengthy explanations"

He was there because of a film that was essentially a "lengthy explanation"

Expected or not, I imagine I would do so, the first few times at least. But then in general, I'd rather over-apologise than under-, although I can imagine always apologising must be tiresome.

I feel like it might've been helpful, in terms of optics, if Davidson had said:

'This kind of thing is exactly what my film highlights - the mortification of always saying the worst possible thing at the worst possible moment, and feeling terrible that you might have hurt someone, while also making yourself look awful. I'm very sorry, but I hope that everyone there that night will know that it was an involuntary tic, and not said with intent.'

Or something like that. But that's just my take.

Really? He's interacting with someone new every few minutes??

As I've said, "I'm sure once you've explained to people, most of them will not be bothered if you do it again", so why would every few minutes be necessary?

Well I think it says a lot about someone if they can see abuse being hurled at a disabled person for offence aimed at that person initially and they don't say anything

A statement acknowledging both the hurt caused to them and also the fact they understand that it was involuntary and a symptom of a disability thst can't be controlled would show the world they don't need to be offended on someone else's behalf

If I had been called a "bitch" live on telly by someone with Tourettes, since people keep using that analogy, and then that person was receiving vile abuse online themselves, I would want to do what I could to prevent that abuse

It's not expecting black people to graciously accept racial abuse and rise above it. It's expecting humans to be considerate to each other and show understanding

I haven't seen any person, and I've probably read 100's of comments over the past 48 hours, suggesting that black people should put up with being called a slur.

What I have saw is a majority refusal to accept context, and a sizeable refusal to accept that vocal tics are meaningless, and that they don't reflect the sufferers personal beliefs. The level of accusation and suspicion persisting around John's tic, in the face of robust and forensic explanation of his condition, is unprecedented in probably 30 years of advocacy here in the UK. It's a display of stubborn intolerance that I've been genuinely stunned to witness in 2026.

I agree with you about calling those responsible victims, because that's not adequate enough to describe the shameful backlash against John. So I'll call it what it is - prejudice.

I'm saying no one can claim "more offence" and that there isn't a hierarchy of who is allowed to be offended and if you were further down the hierarchy and someone higher up then gets offended, you don't stop being offended or being allowed to say you were offended

Ok.
You do you.

MBJ, DL and Hannah Beachley are also receiving vile abuse and turned into memes. Personally, I think they need to do absolutely nothing. Maybe Hannah, who will most likely never have another opportunity to enjoy the praise of her peers for a stellar career, can just hope to have a quiet night at the Oscars.

There is a man who lives with me with Tourette’s who has shouted (completely unintentionally) some terrible things at me.

The first few times I was horrified but now I understand I can’t say it bothers me in the slightest as I know they aren’t meant - all I feel is desperately sorry for this man.

You’ve never seen the film or any of his documentaries have you?

NEAR me I should say, not with me.

So because you are a chronic people pleaser everyone should be?

On the night a statement was made which reminded everyone that Tourettes is involuntary and no offence was meant

You're expecting him to keep grovelling and explaining and apologising when it's not required because the effects of his disability are and were already acknowledged

No, he doesn't need to apologise at all.

I see that he has, fundamentally because he is a decent human being. But nobody, ever, should have to apologise simply because they have a disability.

Expecting John Davidson to apologise is like expecting a hay fever sufferer to apologise for sneezing. He has no control over what he says.

I can't believe that so many people seem unable to grasp this.

The abuse and memes is the fault of racists. It's entirely their own choice to do that and the fault lies entirely with them.

You do you because it's clear you've decided on a victim mentality where by people are only allowed to be offended if no one above them in your scale has also been offended

Perhaps we can all agree- even if on nothing else- that the Beeb shouldn't be doing its editing from a bloody van!

I'm not a chronic people pleaser at all. I'm just polite in day-to-day interactions. There's a big difference.

I personally don't think it would be 'grovelling' to apologise. I don't think it's terrible of him to not apologise, given that everyone there was informed. But it is a very unfortunate situation, especially with the way the BBC handled it.

I am all too familiar with white people calling black and brown people victims if they don't want to be called the N word or the P word. And then having to put out statements.
Fuck that!