Alan Cumming says he “never” wants to host the BAFTAs again

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Pierce Brosnan, known for his role in GoldenEye and hosting The Traitors US, has stated he doesn’t want to host the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) again after the issues that arose during the most recent show.

This year’s show included John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome and was featured in the film I Swear. Alan Cumming explained Davidson’s condition to the audience, and the BBC edited out any accidental swearing or offensive language from the pre-recorded performance before broadcasting it.

The ceremony was taken down from iPlayer after a racial slur was spoken during a moment when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. It was then re-uploaded with the offensive term removed, but the incident had already caused significant controversy, ultimately dominating the conversation about the entire event.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Alan Cumming recalled the incident, describing it as an international scandal. He explained that John then made things worse by claiming he wasn’t racist and that he’d also called Cumming a pedophile. Cumming sarcastically noted that this meant his name and the accusation were linked in headlines worldwide, suggesting John was ‘equal opportunities’ with his offensive language.

This latest issue only made him more upset about participating, and he shared that he’d already planned to stop after this year’s event, even before it happened.

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I remember him telling me that right before everything kicked off, he turned to his agent and said, ‘Seriously, remind me to never do this again!’ It was like he knew even then it would be a wild ride.

It’s challenging because you’re aiming to be humorous for an audience that generally prefers safe, predictable content. This creates a conflict – they want you to be unique, but also not too different. It’s a real struggle to find that balance.

Following the awards ceremony, which Cumming had described as deeply upsetting, BAFTA issued a full apology to Delroy Lindo and Jordan. They explained that Davidson had left the venue after the problematic incident occurred.

In the same interview with the Sunday Times, Cumming also discussed his new Channel 4 drama, Tip Toe, which was written by Russell T Davies.

As a gamer, I’m really excited to see Shawn Ashmore back as Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday later this year! And finally, here in the UK, we’re hopefully getting season 4 of The Traitors US on iPlayer soon, which I’ve been waiting for!

The latest issue of Living Legends, a beautiful 100-page full-colour tribute to Sir David Attenborough, is now available! You can purchase it at newsstands or online.

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2026-05-10 16:19