BBC upholds complaints over racial slur in Baftas broadcast

BBC upholds complaints over racial slur in Baftas broadcast

The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has ruled that a racial slur aired during the Bafta Film Awards violated the corporation’s editorial standards. A Tourette syndrome advocate unintentionally uttered the slur while actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were hosting a category at the event in February. The unedited sound was included in the two-hour delayed TV broadcast on BBC One and remained accessible via iPlayer until the following morning.

“The ECU found this should not have made it to air and it was a clear breach of our editorial standards,” said Kate Phillips, BBC’s chief content officer. However, she added, “the breach was not intentional.”

The ECU received numerous complaints about the Baftas coverage and upheld those related to harm and offense. Last month, outgoing director general Tim Davie acknowledged the BBC “profoundly regrets” the incident, stating the editing team had not heard the word and did not deliberately include it.

The ECU report emphasized the n-word’s offensive nature, noting it had no editorial justification and breached guidelines. Phillips explained the production team missed the word during the live feed and took no action to remove it. “They correctly identified and cut a later instance of the same term, following pre-event protocols,” she said.

The ECU also criticized the decision to leave the unedited footage on iPlayer overnight. “This prolonged availability amplified the impact of the unintentional inclusion,” the report stated. Phillips highlighted confusion among the team about whether the word was captured, leading to a delay in removing the recording.

Phillips reiterated the BBC must refine its processes, improving pre-event planning, live production, and iPlayer takedown procedures. She apologized directly to Delroy Lindo, Michael B Jordan, and Wunmi Mosaku, as well as Tourette’s activist John Davidson, following the incident.

Best supporting actress winner Mosaku shared the emotional toll of the event, revealing the BBC’s failure to edit slurs “tainted” the ceremony and kept her awake at night. Davidson questioned why he was positioned near a microphone, as his film I Swear was among the nominees. Host Alan Cumming apologized for the “trauma-triggering” broadcast.

Separately, the ECU dismissed complaints about the BBC editing “Free Palestine” from a speech by director Akinola Davies Jr. His acceptance remarks, which lasted over two-and-a-half minutes, were trimmed to one minute for the broadcast due to time constraints. The unit supported this as a valid editorial choice, stating the cuts were not driven by bias.