BAFTA host Alan Cumming criticises organisers over racial slur dispute

On the brink of the BAFTA TV Awards, Alan Cumming criticised “incompetent individuals failing in their roles” for the film awards incident he hosted.

Cumming was hosting the BAFTA Film Awards in February when Tourette’s advocate John Davidson unexpectedly shouted a racial slur at the cast of Sinners. He then had to apologise and manage the rest of the event.

In a talk with The Times, Cummings expressed his frustration towards the event coordinators for not adequately preparing or informing him about Davidson’s condition.

“It was abysmal leadership,” he commented. “Individuals neglected their duties, truly lacking in preparation, letting others down…”

Cumming stated he was informed “there’ll be noise” but not specifically regarding Davidson’s outbursts, which caught him off guard since he later learned Davidson had used the same word at a gathering the evening before the ceremony.

Upon Davidson's outburst, Cumming noted he was “unaware of what had occurred” and remained uncertain even when reading an apology from the teleprompter. “Reviewing the footage, I appeared very cheerful; I didn’t express the seriousness and tone I would have if I understood. That frustrated me,” he mentioned.

He dismissed the notion of returning as host for the biggest event in British film. “It's a challenging role,” he stated. 

“You're expected to entertain an audience accustomed to mainstream, average content, so you’re at odds with the eccentric charm they expect you to deliver. It's quite a struggle.”

Cumming’s strong comments come as the BBC and BAFTA gear up for a major challenge since the Film Awards, with the TV event happening Sunday. Our detailed analysis can be seen here.