I Swear director reveals he had ‘prolonged conferences’ with BAFTA about Tourette’s sufferer John Davidson – as decide resigns after ‘unforgivable’ dealing with of N-word outburst

I Swear director Kirk Jones has revealed he had ‘lengthy meetings’ with BAFTA ahead of Tourette’s sufferer John Davidson’s appearance in the audience on Sunday night. 

While the film’s star Robert Aramayo bagged himself two awards at the prestigious awards, I Swear has instead made headlines after John was heard shouting the N-word as Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan as they presented the award for special visual effects.

John, 54, chose to leave the auditorium early and later apologised, while the BBC also apologised for not editing the racial slur out of the delayed broadcast.

On Tuesday it was announced Jonte Richardson will step down as a Bafta judge over its handling of the incident. 

And now the film’s director has revealed, in an interview with The Telegraph conducted nine days before the awards, that there were ‘lengthy meetings with BAFTA’ to ensure John would feel comfortable on Sunday night. 

BAFTA host Alan Cumming issued an apology to viewers during the ceremony after John’s involuntary shouts. 

Addressing the shots, Alan told the crowd: ‘You may have heard some strong offensive language tonight, but if you’ve seen the film I Swear, it’s about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome. 

‘It is a disability and the ticks you have heard tonight are involuntary that means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language and we apologise if it has caused offence.’ 

The campaigner chose to leave the auditorium early and later apologised, while the BBC also apologised for not editing the racial slur out of the delayed broadcast.

Elsewhere in the interview, Kirk explained he was told after finishing the script that the film’s swear count would need to come down otherwise it wouldn’t be a commercial worldwide success. 

The word ‘f**k’ is said 98 times while ‘c**t’ features 28 occasion, but Kirk said he wanted to have ‘complete and total creative control’.

And now BAFTA judge Jonte has stepped down for his role over the handling of the incicdent. He wrote on LinkedIn: ‘After considerable soul-searching, I feel compelled to withdraw from the Bafta emerging talent judging panel.

‘The organisation’s handling of the unfortunate Tourette’s N-Word incident last night at the awards was utterly unforgivable. 

‘I cannot and will not contribute my time energy and expertise to an organisation that has repeatedly failed to safeguard the dignity of its Black guests, members and the Black creative community.

‘This is particularly unfortunate given that this year’s cohort boasts some incredible Black talent, especially one of my favourite shows of 2025 ‘Just Act Normal’.

‘However, when an organisation like Bafta, with its own long history of systemic racism, refuses to acknowledge the harm inflicted on both the Black and disabled communities and offer an appropriate apology, remaining involved would be tantamount to condoning its behaviour.

‘I hope Bafta leadership comprehend the damage they and the BBC have caused and take the necessary steps to ensure their production staff are inclusive enough to prevent such an issue in the future.’

Jonte is a former touring musician who has worked in both the UK and US film and TV industries, with the likes of Beyoncé, Denzel Washington and Queen Latifah.

His resignation came before John released a statement of his own, saying he was ‘deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning’.

The campaigner confirmed he chose to leave the auditorium early as he was ‘aware of the distress my tics were causing’.

John said: ‘I wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast.

‘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 a statement released on Monday night, Bafta also apologised for the incident, and said it takes ‘full responsibility’ for putting its guests in a ‘difficult situation’.

A spokesperson from Bafta said: ‘At the Bafta Film Awards last night, our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

‘One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over.

‘Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.

‘We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

‘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.

‘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.’

According to the NHS, Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes people to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements which, in rare instances, can result in offensive language being used, that cannot be controlled.

It says there is no cure but treatment can help to manage the tics.

John was made an MBE in 2019 for his efforts to increase understanding of Tourette syndrome and help families deal with the condition.

I Swear stars Robert Aramayo as campaigner John and depicts his younger years living in Glasgow, when he was first diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.

The film was nominated in the Outstanding British Film category, but lost out to Hamnet. 

However, Robert bagged the award for Lead Actor, beating front-runners Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothee Chalamet who were also up for the award. 

He also won the EE Rising Star Award, the only public-voted accolade of the night.  

Peter Mullan, who plays Tommy Trotter in the film, was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, however he lost out to Sean Penn who bagged the accolade for One Battle After Another.