Alan Cummingbriefly paused Sunday'sBAFTA Film Awardson two separate occasions to address the expletives and racial slur that Tourette's syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled during the telecast, according to reports.
Davidson is the subject of the BAFTA-nominated biopic "I Swear" and was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at the age of 25. His symptoms include tics and uncontrollable outbursts, which often involve cursing and using expletive language.
"You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette's syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience," Cumming said, per Variety. "Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone."
Sitting in the Royal Festival Hall audience, Davidson's tics were picked up by the microphones in the room and audible on the BBC television broadcast.
According toVarietyandDeadline, several outbursts were heard in the room, including "boring" and "shut the (expletive) up" when BAFTA chair Sara Putt gave an introductory speech during the awards show ceremony, and another expletive was shouted when directors of "Boong" accepted the award for best children's and family film.
In another instance, Davidson was heard shouting a racial slur when "Sinners" actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects to "Avatar: Fire and Ash."
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USA TODAY reviewed screen-recorded clips of the ceremony that were circulating online. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Jordan and Lindo for comment.
Variety adds that later on in the BAFTAs ceremony, Cumming made another statement: "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."
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Davidson allegedly left the awards show ceremony and was not present during the second half of the ceremony, according to Deadline and Variety.
Before this year's ceremony began, Variety reports, the floor manager for the BAFTAs introduced Davidson to the audience acknowlding his Tourette's syndrome and to "please be aware you might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony."
Davidson went public with his diagnosis four decades ago in 1989.
"Tourette's is such an awful condition that most of the time I don't want to be the center of attention,"Davidson said in an interview with BBC News last year. "I want to be able to walk down the street and not be noticed because I'm shouting or swearing."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:John Davidson uses a racial slur during tic outburst at BAFTAs
