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John Davidson, who has Tourette’s Syndrome, advocates for others with the condition and is the real-life inspiration for film I Swear, says he has reached out to the studio handling Sinners after drawing attention for shouting a racial slur at actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo while they were on stage at the recent BAFTA awards. He wants to directly apologise to the film’s stars as well as production designer Hannah Beachler.

During an exclusive interview with Variety on Tuesday, Davidson gave more insight into the syndrome. He explained that a particular type of Tourette’s, called coprolalia — affecting 10 to 30 per cent of those with the condition — leads to involuntary use of obscene or offensive language, making it extremely distressful for the person experiencing it, often leading to isolation or discrimination.

Explaining the extent of the experiences he faced due to the condition, Davidson narrated that he had been “ physically beaten to within an inch of my life with an iron bar after ticking a comment to a young woman whose boyfriend and accomplice ambushed me one evening”.

He said the severity of his condition is such that he has no idea “when they[tics] are coming or what they will be”.

According to reports, the incident involving Jordan and Lindo was not the only disruption during the BAFTA evening. The BBC chose to air the slur even though the awards aired two hours after the event actually took place. Davidson was heard shouting multiple times throughout the ceremony — including “shut the f*** up” during an introductory speech by BAFTA chair Sara Putt, and “f*** you” as the filmmakers behind Boong, winner of Best Children’s and Family Film, took the stage to accept their award.

During his interview with Variety, Davidson explained his tics were not a choice or a reflection of his values.

“Tourette’s can make my body or voice do things I don’t mean, and sometimes those tics land on the worst possible words. I want to be really clear that the intent behind them is zero. What you’re hearing is a symptom — not my character, not my thought, not my belief,” he stated.

Trying to give a clearer picture of the condition, he explained how Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for him personally and for those around him

“What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe.”

Delving deeper into explaining what was really happening for him at the back-end, Davidson said: “I am often triggered by what I see and/or what I hear, and this part of the condition is called echolalia. For example, when the chair of BAFTA started speaking on Sunday, I shouted, ‘Boring.’ On Sunday, Alan Cumming joked about his own sexuality and, when referencing Paddington Bear, said, ‘Maybe you would like to come home with me, Paddington. It wouldn’t be the first time I have taken a hairy Peruvian bear home with me.’ This resulted in homophobic tics from me and led to a shout of ‘pedophile’ that was likely triggered because Paddington Bear is a children’s character.”

Davidson, while telling the publication about BAFTA’s pre-award reassurances, revealed that the awards made everyone aware that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast.

“As I reflect on the auditorium, I remember there was a microphone just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic,” he said, wondering whether the BBC was completely aware of the way his condition acts out as he has already worked with them in the past.

The BBC’s statement

The BBC said on Wednesday it had launched an investigation into how it had failed to edit out a racial slur from its broadcast of Britain’s top movie awards.

The broadcaster said it had reviewed what it called a “serious mistake” and would act quickly.

“The director-general has instructed the Executive Complaints Unit to complete a fast-tracked investigation and provide a full response to complainants,” a spokesperson said in a statement, according to Reuters.

British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the launch of the investigation and said she had spoken to the BBC’s director-general on the matter. “Broadcasting a racial slur is completely unacceptable and harmful. The BBC must ensure that this never happens again,” she said in a statement.

BAFTA has apologised to the two actors and said it took full responsibility for what happened during the ceremony.