In a recent incident during the Bafta film awards, an unedited racial slur was included in the broadcast, leading to an apology from BBC's chief content officer, Kate Phillips. She expressed deep remorse to staff, acknowledging the distress caused by the failure to censor the offensive term. The incident occurred when campaigner John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, inadvertently shouted the N-word while presenting an award alongside stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo.

Phillips reassured staff that the BBC does not endorse racial slurs and that the inclusion of the slur was not intentional. She highlighted that another racial slur had been successfully removed from the broadcast, affirming their commitment to upholding standards in their programming. Despite efforts to address potential verbal tics during the telecast, Phillips admitted that this explanation did little to mitigate the negative impact on viewers and staff alike.

As a follow-up to this incident, Bafta has announced a comprehensive review of its broadcasting practices to prevent similar events in the future. This situation raises important questions about the responsibility of media outlets in handling sensitive language and the implications of live broadcasting, particularly regarding the inclusion and exclusion of language in relation to mental health issues like Tourette syndrome.