A Scottish Tourette’s campaigner became the most talked-about person at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night, not for winning an award, but for the involuntary outbursts that stopped the ceremony twice and sparked a global conversation about disability, public spaces, and understanding.
John Davidson, 54, was seated inside London’s Royal Festival Hall as an invited guest when his Tourette’s syndrome tics were picked up by microphones and broadcast live on BBC One. The moment drew international attention and sent his name trending across social media within minutes.
Who Is John Davidson?
John Davidson was born on June 1, 1971, in Scotland and lives in Galashiels. His symptoms first appeared when he was 12, but he was not diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome until he was 25.
At 16, Davidson became the subject of the BBC documentary John’s Not Mad, broadcast in 1989, which introduced Tourette’s syndrome to a wider British public for the first time. The film became a national talking point. Follow-up documentaries followed in 2002 and 2009, tracking his life at different stages.
Since then, Davidson has spent decades as a campaigner and educator. He gives talks and workshops to schools, teachers, and police forces. He runs an annual two-day residential Tourette’s camp for young people in Galashiels, giving those with the condition a space to be themselves without judgement. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an MBE for his efforts to increase understanding of the condition and support families across the country.
Davidson’s life story inspired the film I Swear, directed by Kirk Jones, with Lord of the Rings actor Robert Aramayo playing Davidson. The film has grossed ยฃ8 million at the UK box office and is scheduled for US release in April 2026.
What Happened at the BAFTAs?
Before the ceremony began, the floor manager introduced Davidson to the audience and asked them to be aware that involuntary noises or movements might occur during the show. Davidson received applause from the crowd inside the hall.
Despite the warning, the reality of his condition proved startling for some. Davidson shouted words including “boring” and profanities while BAFTA chair Sara Putt addressed the audience during the opening. Later, as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the Best Visual Effects award to Avatar: Fire and Ash, Davidson shouted a racial slur that was clearly audible in the hall and on the broadcast.
Lindo visibly paused before continuing. Jordan moved on with the presentation.
Host Alan Cumming addressed the audience twice. “You may have noticed some strong language in the background,” he said. “This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people, as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
Later in the evening Cumming went further. “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language,” he said. “We apologize if you are offended tonight.”
Davidson left the auditorium of his own accord during the second half of the ceremony. He was not asked to leave by BAFTA.
Why It Matters
Accepting the Rising Star award, Aramayo paid tribute to the man he portrayed. “John Davidson is the most remarkable man I ever met,” he said. “He’s so forthcoming with education and he believes there should be still so much more we need to learn about Tourette’s.”
Emma McNally, CEO of Tourettes Action, said the film had already shifted public understanding. “Viewers have told us that seeing John’s real story portrayed with such depth and honesty has given them a far more accurate understanding of what Tourette’s can look like and how it affects the individual,” she said.
Davidson told CNN before the ceremony that he had been anxious about exactly this kind of moment. “Certain things, like today, lots of people around, I’m feeling more tics in case I lash out,” he said. “Different situations can trigger different emotions and tics and stuff.”
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