A racial slur was shouted during the BAFTA awards by a guest with Tourette’s

The British Film Academy and the BBC have apologized to viewers after an audience member with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur during the British Academy Film Awards.

The offensive word was heard as “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects during Sunday’s ceremony.

Broadcaster Alan Cumming had earlier told the audience that the guest at the event was John Davidson, the Scottish Tourette’s campaigner who inspired the BAFTA-nominated film “I Swear.”

“I Swear” won two BAFTAs, including best actor for Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson.

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalizations, including the pronunciation of inappropriate words.

After the rant, Cumming apologized to the audience at London’s Royal Festival Hall for his “strong and offensive language.”

“Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you heard this evening are not happening, which means that a person with Tourette syndrome cannot control their language,” said Cumming. “We apologize if you offended.”

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts said in a statement on Monday that it wants to “recognize the damage caused by this, deal with what happened and apologize to everyone.”

“We take the duty of care for all our guests very seriously and start from the place of installation,” said the center. “We took steps to inform the attendees of the tics, we informed the audience before the ceremony started, and in everything, that John was in the room and that they heard strong language, unusual sounds or movements during the ceremony.”

After the incident, the academy said Davidson “chose to leave the auditorium and watch the entire event on screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration, for what should have been a night of celebration for him.”

The academy apologized to Jordan and Lindo, thanking them for “their outstanding reputation and professionalism.”

The epithet was heard when the BBC broadcast the event almost two hours after the live event.

The broadcaster apologized, although the offending word was still heard on his broadcast on Monday morning. The show was later removed, and the BBC said the slur would be edited out.

“Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This came from a verbal abuse associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional,” the BBC said in a statement. “We apologize that this was not edited before broadcast and will now be removed from the BBC iPlayer version.”

Ed Palmer, vice-chairman of the charity Tourettes Action, said the BBC should have considered ending the scandal.

“This is one of those serious examples where something that is a disability can understandably cause a lot of offense to someone,” he told Times Radio. “So, if it’s pre-recorded now, taking it out, for example, might be a reasonable compromise.”