Warner Bros Raised Concerns Over N-Word Incident at Bafta Ceremony
A source close to Warner Bros has revealed that studio executives were assured the racial slur would be removed before the broadcast of the Bafta awards, following an incident where the N-word was uttered during the ceremony. The source confirmed that the issue was raised immediately with Bafta after the verbal slip occurred while two Black stars of their film Sinners were on stage.
The incident happened on Sunday night during the Bafta awards, when campaigner John Davidson inadvertently used the slur while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the award for best visual effects. The source told that Warner Bros requested the word be removed from the telecast, which airs on the channel One after a two-hour time delay. Bafta assured them that the request would be passed on to the BBC for editing.
Warner Bros, the studio behind both Sinners and the night’s major winner One Battle After Another, maintained close contact with Bafta throughout the evening and held a meeting with them on Monday morning to discuss the matter.
When asked for comment on Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson stated they would not add anything further beyond the statement released on Monday, which apologized for the editing oversight. BBC producers responsible for the coverage said earlier on Monday that they did not hear the slur during the live event, with a source explaining to that this was because they were "working from a truck."
Google Apologizes for Offensive AI-Generated Prompt
In a related development, Google issued an apology for an AI-generated prompt that accompanied a link to an article about the incident. The prompt invited users to "See more on" the N-word, which was deemed offensive. A Google spokesperson told :
"We’re deeply sorry for this mistake. We’ve removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again."
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Questions Raised Over Editing and Broadcast Delay
Many have questioned why those editing the telecast were not aware of the significant reaction both in the room and on social media to Davidson’s involuntary use of the slur. Several other instances of inappropriate language were successfully cut from the broadcast, yet this moment was missed.
On Monday afternoon, the BBC issued a new apology for its handling of the incident and uploaded an edited version of the ceremony to its website. The lengthy delay between the live event and the broadcast has faced increased criticism, as viewers interested in the awards often know the winners well before watching the show.
The rationale for the delay has traditionally been to allow broadcasters enough time to remove inappropriate content, particularly since the transmission occurs before the watershed.
Bafta Takes Responsibility and Issues Apology
On Monday evening, Bafta released a statement in which it said it took "full responsibility" for placing its "guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all." The organization also:
"apologise[d] unreservedly" to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo and thanked them for "their incredible dignity and professionalism."
Despite apologies from both Bafta and the BBC, criticism has continued. On Tuesday, Bafta judge Jonte Richardson resigned over the "utterly unforgivable" handling of the incident. The New Black Film Collective and MP Dawn Butler echoed Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s outrage at the BBC’s failure to edit out the slur.
has approached Bafta for further comment.
