BBC Radio 1 airs same racial slur during TWO news bulletins in ‘appalling oversight’ – weeks after facing backlash for allowing the N-word into edited BAFTA coverage

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The BBC received more criticism on Monday for broadcasting a racial slur during two news programs. This happened just weeks after they were previously criticized for including the same offensive term in their edited coverage of the BAFTA awards.

The broadcaster, recently facing criticism, played a song by American rapper Childish Gambino during two Newsbeat segments without realizing the lyrics included a racial slur.

Listeners to BBC Radio heard an inappropriate word twice during brief updates about the new movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The updates aired at 12:45pm and again at 5:45pm, which are the program’s regular times for those types of announcements.

Donald Glover, also known as the musician Childish Gambino, is one of the stars of the new film, alongside Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, and Brie Larson.

Newsbeat is designed for younger listeners and can be heard on Radio 1, 1Xtra, and the Asian Network. Shorter news updates are also broadcast throughout the day.

A BBC representative said they deeply regret the clip being aired. They acknowledged it shouldn’t have been part of the news report and removed it from their Sounds platform as soon as they discovered the mistake.

A brief clip from the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie was shown on the news. The movie stars Donald Glover, also known as the musician Childish Gambino.

We’re sorry, but an incorrect song was played due to a mistake in our process. We should have caught this error before it went out, and we apologize for the oversight.

We’ve informed our senior editors and reminded the team to follow the correct procedures.

This mistake happened shortly after the BBC received criticism for letting a racist term appear in its broadcast of the BAFTA Awards.

John Davidson, a disability advocate with Tourette’s Syndrome, unintentionally used a racial slur while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award at London’s Royal Festival Hall. His outburst occurred during the presentation of the first prize for special visual effects.

Neither actor reacted to the incident on stage, and they continued presenting the award. BAFTA host Alan apologized if the offensive comment had upset anyone, and explained that Davidson had chosen to leave the event.

Davidson, 54, released a statement saying he was very embarrassed by what he said and clarified that his comments don’t reflect what he actually believes.

The Scottish actor attended the BAFTAs to promote his film, I Swear, which tells the story of his life with Tourette’s syndrome. He’s lived with the condition – which causes involuntary tics, or sudden movements and sounds – since he was 12 years old.

Although some actors like Jamie Foxx and Wendell Pierce criticized him, most of the anger was directed at the BBC. People were upset that the network didn’t remove an offensive term from the broadcast before the awards show aired, even though it wasn’t a live event.

Davidson has apologized if his Tourette’s syndrome has caused anyone distress or confusion, and he expressed gratitude for the support he’s received from fans.

He mentioned it had been a tough week, especially after learning that thieves had also stolen his bicycle.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this moment all week! I really wanted to give things a bit of space after the excitement of the BAFTAs in London before saying anything.

I’m so grateful to everyone who has offered love, support, and understanding to me and the Tourette’s Community. Your kindness and encouragement really helped me through a tough week.

I will never be sorry for having Tourette’s syndrome, but I do apologize for any hurt, frustration, or confusion it might cause.

It’s been a challenging week, and it’s reinforced how much work remains to be done in raising awareness for this often-misunderstood condition. I’m committed to continuing this effort until we see real progress.

He went on to thank fans again for their support, adding: ‘I love you all.’

Davidson had previously been told by BAFTA that any profanity would be removed from the broadcast, which made him wonder why he was positioned directly in front of a microphone.

Okay, so, I’ve been following this guy’s work for ages, and honestly, it’s infuriating! He’s done four documentaries with the BBC before, four! They should absolutely know what to anticipate when someone with Tourette’s is involved. He was way back, like forty rows from the stage, and they still let his tics get broadcast? It’s just… they could have done so much more to prevent it, and they knew he had Tourette’s! It feels like a total lack of respect, honestly. They should have been prepared!

Looking back at the auditorium, I recall a microphone was positioned right in front of me. Now I wonder if that was a good idea, considering how close it was and knowing I tend to twitch.

Daily Mail has contacted a BBC representative for further comment. 

David Davidson is well-known in the UK for living with Tourette’s syndrome. This condition causes him to involuntarily shout out swear words and insults, as well as experience sudden physical and vocal tics.

A major symptom he experiences is coprolalia, which causes him to blurt out rude or inappropriate words and phrases without meaning to. A well-known example of this happened in 2019 when he unexpectedly shouted an offensive phrase about Queen Elizabeth II while receiving his MBE.

As police searched his car when he was entering the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Davidson unexpectedly shouted, ‘A bomb! I’ve got a bomb!’

Tourette’s Action expressed strong praise for Davidson and everyone who worked on the film, especially Robert Aramayo, who received a best actor award for his depiction of the disability campaigner.

It went on to say that it had found the ‘backlash’ to the incident ‘deeply saddening’. 

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2026-04-27 11:20