Alan Cummings addresses tic outburst from John Davidson during BAFTA awards

At the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards, Tourette's syndrome activist John Davidson experienced a tic outburst and used expletives and a racial slur.

Alan Cumming briefly paused Sunday's BAFTA Film Awards on two separate occasions to address the expletives and racial slur that Tourette's syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled during the telecast, according to reports.

Davidson is the subject of the BAFTA-nominated biopic "I Swear" and was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at the age of 25. His symptoms include tics and uncontrollable outbursts, which often involve cursing and using expletive language.

"You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette's syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience," Cumming said, per Variety. "Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone."

Sitting in the Royal Festival Hall audience, Davidson's tics were picked up by the microphones in the room and audible on the BBC television broadcast.

According to Variety and Deadline, several outbursts were heard in the room, including "boring" and "shut the (expletive) up" when BAFTA chair Sara Putt gave an introductory speech during the awards show ceremony, and another expletive was shouted when directors of "Boong" accepted the award for best children's and family film.