LONDON: John Davidson, the Tourette syndrome campaigner, has said he is “deeply mortified” over his involuntary tics that led him to shout a racial slur that was broadcast during the BBC’s coverage of the Bafta awards.

Davidson made a series of outbursts during the ceremony on Sunday evening, including shouting the n-word when the Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were on stage.

Lindo paused as a result of the outburst and the reaction from organisers has prompted criticism from stars including Wendell Pierce, who has starred in The Wire.

The BBC apologised for failing to edit out a racist slur on Monday.

In a statement Davidson thanked Bafta for its “support and understanding” in inviting him to attend the broadcast.

He said: “In addition to the announcement by 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.”

He added that he “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”.

Davidson was in attendance to celebrate the film I Swear, which he said “more than any film of TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette syndrome”.

He said he chose to leave the auditorium early in the ceremony because he was “aware of the distress my tics were causing”.

Alan Cumming, who was hosting the ceremony, apologised “if [anyone] was offended” later in the evening.

The BBC said the offensive language should not have been aired during its delayed broadcast, which began at 7pm, two hours after the ceremony.

It said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta film awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on iPlayer.”

Emma McNally, the chief executive of Tourettes Action, a charity, praised I Swear and said: “We also want to address the negative comments that have surfaced following John’s involuntary vocal tics during the ceremony.

“We deeply understand that these words can cause hurt but at the same time, it is vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome: tics are involuntary. They are not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions, or character.”

She added: “The backlash from certain parts of the media has been extremely saddening, particularly given how hard John works to raise awareness and understanding.

“We hope that those commenting will take the time to watch the film, learn about Tourettes, and understand the experiences behind moments like these. Education is key, and compassion makes a world of difference.”

Davidson, who developed the condition when he was 12, was introduced to the audience before the ceremony began as the inspiration for I Swear, which portrays his pioneering campaigning work. Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson in the film, later won the best actor award.

His condition and the potential for disruption was explained to audience members, who responded with an enthusiastic round of applause.

Questions have been raised about why the BBC allowed the outburst to be broadcast but producers are understood not to have been able to hear the specific language used.

Numerous attempts to clarify the indistinct words, which were not heard by everyone in the auditorium, were made by staff working in a broadcasting truck outside. It was only after it was broadcast on BBC1 and following press reports that the severity of the language became known to bosses.

Ed Palmer, the vice-chairman of Tourettes Action, suggested on Times Radio that the BBC should have bleeped out the slur. “This is really one of the most acute examples of where something that is a disability can cause quite understandably huge amounts of offence to someone,” he said.

Palmer said that “it is important to show compassion and understand that it is involuntary” and added that “causing offence is often very distressing to people who have this condition”.

He added: “It would have been an involuntary movement over which John Davidson had absolutely no control. And it’s not clear when you tic what the tic will be, what the word will be. And so John wouldn’t have known that that was the tic that he was about to do.

“Offensive or rude tics are called coprolalia, and they affect about 10 to 15 per cent of people that have Tourette’s syndrome and some people will find they can be kind of stimulated or triggered by things in the environment, but for some people they are completely random.”

A BBC insider accused staff of failing to place Davidson on the “high-risk” list as part of their preparations.

Pierce said the situation was mishandled by organisers. “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full-throated apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan,” he said. “The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”

Hannah Beachler, production designer for Sinners, said the BBC’s “throwaway apology” was insufficient when dealing with the “almost impossible” situation.

She said: “We must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throwaway apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show. Of course we were offended.”