Here’s the real reason the BBC edited out that ‘Free Palestine’ speech during the BAFTAs 2026

At the BAFTAs 2026, the BBC cut Akinola Davies Jr.’s “Free Palestine” line from his acceptance speech, so here’s what we know about the real reason behind it.

When filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. spoke after My Father’s Shadow won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Debut, he dedicated the award to migrants and people living through conflict.

He said, “To the economic migrant. The conflict migrant. Those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution, and those experiencing genocide. You matter. Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home. Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever.”

He added, “For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine.”

However, when the BBC showed the ceremony later that evening, the final line wasn’t there.

At first, it looked like a normal edit. The live ceremony lasts about three hours, but the BBC only has a two-hour TV slot. So speeches are often shortened to fit the schedule. But this year, things were a bit different.

So, why was the “Free Palestine” line removed?

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

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Basically, after last year’s Glastonbury controversy, when Bob Vylan’s “death to the IDF” chant was streamed and caused major backlash, the BBC was said to be more careful about politically sensitive moments.

Going into this year’s BAFTAs, a source told the Deadline that the BBC was on alert for anything that could cause another storm. While the BBC has said the edits were made to make the programme fit into the time slot, political messaging was clearly a sensitive issue.

And this is where people feel confused, because another controversial moment was left in. During the ceremony, an audible racial slur was heard during a segment involving Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson. The show was broadcast with a two-hour delay, which meant there was time to edit or bleep the word. But it was aired.

Many people online are saying that if there was time to remove “Free Palestine”, there was also time to bleep the slur. Some feel the decisions don’t look consistent. Others say the word could have been censored while still explaining that it was linked to Tourette’s syndrome.

The BBC has now responded to the issue. A spokesperson told The Tab, “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.”

It added, “We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast, and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

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