BAFTA slammed for duty of care failure after awards slur

Bafta did not meet its duty of care to people in the room and those watching during its February film awards ceremony after a racial slur was heard during the live event, according to an independent review published on Friday. The assessment said the incident exposed gaps in planning and crisis coordination, even though it found no malicious intent.

The review was carried out by Rise Associates. It examined an on-stage moment in which Tourette's campaigner John Davidson involuntarily shouted a racial slur while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award. The review described the situation as involving a difficult overlap of disability, the risks of live broadcasting, and language with significant historical context.

Bafta acknowledged that it did not sufficiently foresee or prepare for such an event in a live setting. The review said this lack of anticipation contributed to a shortfall in Bafta’s duty of care, affecting both attendees and viewers. It also concluded that Bafta’s event planning and internal processes had not kept pace with the organisation’s diversity and inclusion ambitions.

Following the incident, Bafta said it apologised to individuals and communities affected, including the black and disabled communities. The review stated that the episode did not amount to institutional racism, while still pointing to structural weaknesses that shaped how the organisation prepared for and responded to the moment.

Bafta said it plans to tighten escalation procedures, reinforce accessibility and inclusion planning for events, and address internal cultural gaps to reduce the risk of similar incidents. The review’s findings place attention on how major cultural institutions manage live-event safeguards, particularly when disability-related involuntary speech can intersect with language that carries a long history of harm.

For the wider screen industry, the review highlights operational questions that can matter beyond a single ceremony, including how organisers coordinate rapid decision-making during live broadcasts and how inclusion goals translate into practical risk planning. The review also underlined that the incident sat at a complex intersection of factors, which can make real-time responses difficult and can leave uncertainty about what measures are proportionate and effective in a live environment.