Here’s who John Davidson is, after he shouts racial slurs at BAFTAs in Tourette’s outburst

John Davidson has gone viral after shouting racial slurs in the middle of the BAFTAs on Sunday night due to his Tourette’s syndrome. If you’ve never heard of him before, here’s who he actually is.

Everyone was confused when they heard the n-word being shouted in the middle of the awards ceremony, and viewers at home were convinced host Michael B. Jordan was being heckled by someone in the audience.

However, the actor and director later apologised and revealed it was down to Davidson’s Tourette’s, saying: “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette Syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience.”

“Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone. Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”

Credit: BBC

John Davidson is a Tourette’s activist

Davidson is a Scottish activist who raises awareness of living with Tourette’s, often doing talks and workshops for young people in schools, as well as teachers and police. He once organised his own Tourette’s camp and was given an MBE in 2019 for  “his efforts to increase understanding of the condition and helping families deal with it across the country”. 

The 54-year-old shot into the spotlight after he starred in a 1989 BBC documentary called John’s Not Mad when he was just 16, which was all about his life with Tourette’s. It explored his own struggles with the syndrome as well as how his family coped and misunderstood it, and is considered one of the best documentaries of all time.

He was also in a follow-up documentary in 2002 called The Boy Can’t Help It, which followed his life 14 years later, when he was 30. The documentaries shot him into a life of activism, and he’s now considered the most famous Tourette’s ambassador in the UK.

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He was at the BAFTAs for his new film

The Tourette’s campaigner was at the BAFTAs to promote the 2025 biographical film I Swear, which is about his life. It follows Davidson, played by Robert Aramayo from Game of Thrones and Behind Her Eyes, as he grows up with Tourette Syndrome in 1980s Scotland and becomes an activist.

Aramayo won the best actor award for I Swear, beating Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B Jordan. The film was actually nominated for five different awards, and also won Best Casting.

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Featured image credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock