John Davidson made headlines following the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards after multiple reports of a person shouting racial slurs made the rounds online. Davidson, 54, is a campaigner for Tourette’s syndrome: a disorder in the nervous system that causes involuntary, repetitive movements and/or tics.
A BBC spokesperson only confirmed that an awards ceremony guest with Tourette’s had made the outbursts. Per a statement obtained by NBC News, the rep said, “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”
Learn about Davidson, his career as an activist, his tourette’s syndrome and what happened at the 2026 BAFTAs below.
BBC and BAFTA apologized after John Davidson, a Scottish campaigner for people with Tourette syndrome, shouted a racial slur during the ceremony. Robert Aramayo won best actor at the awards for playing Davidson in indie drama ‘I Swear.’ pic.twitter.com/Imf1ETLSqG
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 23, 2026
John Davidson Is an Activist
As previously noted, Davidson is an activist and campaigner for Tourette’s. The Scottish native has been a nationally recognized ambassador for decades, and a 1989 BBC TV documentary titled John’s Not Mad was produced about his own life and experience with Tourette’s.
Since Tourette’s is different for anyone living with the condition, Davidson’s includes tics, coprolalia, echolalia, and sudden body movements on top of obsessive–compulsive disorder (a.k.a OCD).
Despite the difficulties that accompany the condition, Davidson has persevered in helping others who are living with Tourette’s. He’s visited schools and hosted workshops to educate the public, and he organized the annual camp for adolescents in Galashiels.
I Swear Was Inspired by John Davidson
The 2025 film I Swear is a biopic about Davidson, played by actor Robert Aramayo, who won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the BAFTA Rising Star Award for his performance.
While accepting the Rising Star Award, Aramayo made sure to praise Davidson in his speech, calling the activist the “most remarkable man I ever met.”
“He’s so forthcoming with education, and he believes there should be still so much more we need to learn about Tourette’s,” the actor said. “Especially, I just want to say for people who are living with Tourette’s, it’s the buzz around them that helped define what their experience is, so, to quote the film, ‘They need support and understanding.’”
The movie follows Davidson after the 1989 documentary John’s Not Mad came out, at a time when Tourette’s wasn’t widely identifiable.
Aramayo is best known for his performances in Game of Thrones and, most recently, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
John Davidson Reportedly Made Several Outbursts at the 2026 BAFTAs
As previously noted, Davidson had several outbursts during the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards. Multiple outlets reported that he yelled racial slurs, including the “N” word, when Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects.
At one point during the ceremony, host Alan Cumming addressed the disruption by saying, “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”
