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) concluded that the broadcast of a racial slur during the Bafta Film Awards violated the corporation’s editorial guidelines. 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 at the ceremony. The unedited moment was aired on BBC One with a two-hour delay and remained accessible via iPlayer until the following day.

Speaking on Wednesday, BBC’s chief content officer Kate Phillips stated that the ECU “determined this should not have made it to air and it was a clear breach of our editorial standards.” She clarified that the oversight “was not deliberate,” emphasizing the lack of intent behind the inclusion of the n-word. The ECU received numerous complaints about the BBC’s coverage and confirmed that the incident met the criteria for harm and offense.

“The ECU found that the inclusion of the n-word in the broadcast was highly offensive, had no editorial justification, and represented a breach of the BBC’s editorial standards, but that the breach was unintentional,” the report said.

Phillips explained that the production team “did not hear the n-word at the time it was said and therefore no decision was made to leave the word in the broadcast.” She noted that the team “correctly identified and edited out a subsequent use of the same word,” aligning with pre-event protocols for handling offensive language. However, the ECU criticized the delay in removing the unedited version from iPlayer, calling it a “serious mistake” that amplified the impact of the inadvertent slur.

Phillips highlighted a “lack of clarity” among the team about whether the word was captured on the recording. This uncertainty “resulted in a delay before the decision was taken to remove the recording from iPlayer.” The ECU’s report agreed, stating that the extended availability of the unedited content worsened the offense caused by the unintentional inclusion.

Following the incident, Phillips announced measures to enhance pre-event planning, live production processes, and iPlayer takedown procedures. She also sent direct apologies to Delroy Lindo, Michael B Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Tourette’s activist John Davidson. Mosaku shared that the BBC’s failure to edit out slurs had “kept me awake at night and brought tears to my eyes,” though she expressed “no hard feeling” toward Davidson.

Datacles also noted that the BBC “must learn from our mistakes and ensure our processes are as robust as they can be.” Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the broadcast “completely unacceptable and harmful,” while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch labeled it a “horrible mistake.”

Additionally, the ECU dismissed several complaints about the BBC editing the phrase “Free Palestine” from an acceptance speech. Director Akinola Davies Jr mentioned the phrase while delivering his speech for best debut in My Father’s Shadow. His brother Wale, the film’s writer, joined him on stage for two-and-a-half minutes, but their remarks were trimmed to about one minute for broadcast. The ECU supported the BBC’s explanation, stating that “the production team’s decision did not hinge on considerations of impartiality” and that time constraints necessitated the edits.