The BAFTAs have taken "full responsibility" after John Davidson shouted a racial slur during Sunday's (23.02.26) ceremony.

The organisation has responded after backlash following the incident in which the man with Tourette's syndrome - whose life is the inspiration for the film I Swear - shouted the N-word while Sinners co-stars Michael B. Jordon and Delroy Lindo were on stage.

In a statement, BAFTA said: "We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.

"We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy."

BAFTA noted that guests "heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many".

They added: "We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all."

The organisation noted that Davidson "has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of" Tourette's, which causes "involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over".

They added: "Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual's beliefs and are not intentional."

BAFTA insisted they "take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion".

This including making sure people in attendance at the ceremony were "aware of the tics".

They continued: "Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room.

"Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted.

"We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.

"During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him."

Meanwhile, Davidson has released his own statement saying he is "deeply mortified".

He said: "I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs.

"I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.

"In addition to the announcement by (show host) Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."

Delroy told Variety that he wished "someone from BAFTA spoke to us" and said he and Michael "did what we had to do" as they continued presenting.

The BBC, who apologised for the incident being broadcast, later removed the ceremony from iPlayer.