The head of the BBC is facing pressure from MPs after the N-word was broadcast during Sunday night’s BAFTAs. Despite a two-hour time delay in airing the ceremony, the racial slur was not bleeped from the coverage. It was also available on the channel’s streaming site until the following morning.
Tim Davie is facing questions over the BBC’s handling of a racial slur at the BAFTAs
Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the UK’s parliamentary culture committee, has written to the BBC’s Director General, Tim Davie, demanding answers. Tim has served as Director General since 2020 but announced plans to step down last year after two decades at the corporation. He’s due to be replaced by a successor in April.
“I am writing regarding the BBC’s coverage of the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday,” the MP wrote in her letter. “The BBC’s broadcast included a racial slur made as a result of involuntary tics by a person with Tourette syndrome. I am seeking an explanation as to how the slur came to be broadcast [despite] a two-hour time delay.”
“We have previously raised concerns with you about circumstances in which the BBC has allowed deeply offensive language to be aired,” Caroline continued. “This latest incident raises questions about the extent to which lessons have been learned and about the controls and systems you have in place to prevent such incidents.”
In response, a spokesperson for the BBC said it was “reviewing what happened at BAFTA on Sunday evening.”
“This was a serious mistake, and the Director-General has instructed the Executive Complaints Unit to complete a fast-tracked investigation and provide a full response to complainants,” the spokesperson continued.
This is not the first time the BBC has come under fire for such a move. Last summer, the corporation broke its own editorial guidelines by broadcasting antisemitic statements made by a performer at Glastonbury Festival. This was described by BBC chair Samir Shah as “an error of judgment.”
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