Why BAFTAs isn’t live, after ‘Free Palestine’ cut from broadcast but racial slur left in

The 2026 BAFTAs have landed in controversy about not broadcasting live after the BBC cut a pro-Palestine remark from one winner’s speech, but failed to remove a racial slur shouted at two Black presenters.

Director Akinola Davies Jr won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for his film My Father’s Shadow, a family drama set during Nigeria’s 1993 election and co-written with his brother Wale Davies. At the end of his acceptance speech, Davies Jr shouted: “Free Palestine.”

Akinola Davies at the BAFTAs “To all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children, to the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation.. those experiencing genocide, you matter.. for Nigeria, London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine” pic.twitter.com/YQuZUTU3yy

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 23, 2026

But when the ceremony aired in the UK around two hours after the live event, the line had been cut from the broadcast edit. The decision has raised eyebrows because another controversial moment, a man shouting the n-word at presenters Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan, was not removed from the programme.

calling michael b jordan and delroy lindo the n-word during black history month?! https://t.co/nNjdMPfmVX pic.twitter.com/UQ4I5Ow0Kg

— chu (@THEHORRORGOTH) February 22, 2026

The man, Scottish campaigner John Davidson, has Tourette’s syndrome. The incident has since gone viral online, with misinformation about his condition spreading rapidly.

People questioned how the BBC had time to remove Davies Jr’s political statement but not a racial slur, given the BAFTAs are not broadcast live and are edited into a two-hour TV slot.

One person wrote on X: “BAFTAs are on a TWO-hour delay. That seems like enough time to make the decision to not air racial epithets being thrown at the two Black actors on stage.”

I know the bbc live in fear of people, god forbid, speaking up on all the horror going on in the world right now, but the baftas not being live is such a buzzkill. The whole thing feels so stilted & vibeless, awards shows need chaotic energy #baftas

— Stephanie Soteriou (@StephanieRiou) February 22, 2026

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Why the BAFTAs aren’t live

Unlike most major awards shows, the BAFTA Film Awards are pre-recorded and broadcast later in the evening by the BBC.

The ceremony itself runs around three hours, but the BBC airs a shorter two-hour version that is edited for time, compliance and editorial standards. Speeches are routinely trimmed, and the BBC says it aims to preserve their “core sentiment” while ensuring the programme is suitable for broadcast and compliant with Ofcom rules.

However, the broadcaster has also faced intense scrutiny over politically charged content in recent years, particularly after it streamed a Glastonbury performance last year featuring chants of “death to the IDF”, which sparked national backlash.

Industry sources told Deadline that the fallout from that incident has made broadcasters more cautious about airing political statements from stage, especially on issues such as Gaza, Donald Trump or foreign conflicts.

A BBC spokesperson said: “As is always the case, the show’s content must be appropriate for the slot and in line with BBC editorial guidelines, as well as Ofcom-compliant. The ceremony itself is far longer than the two-hour broadcast, and while we always aim to keep the core sentiment of acceptance speeches, edits are made due to time constraints.”

The Tab has approached BAFTA and the BBC for comment.

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Featured image credit: BBC