I Swear, the BAFTAs and why the comedy world has let John Davidson (and itself) down
- Graeme Rayner
- Mar 4
- 12 min read
CONTENT WARNING: This article includes language that may offend, including racial slurs, as well as discussions relating to disability and mental health issues, including suicide.
Alongside the recent stories of war, by-elections and an ex-President of the USA testifying about the Epstein Files while current the President of the USA gives no indication he will ever do that, one story has been in the media that has really struck a chord with me, for a few reasons. I went to see the film “I Swear” at my local cinema earlier this year. I was keen to see it as I was aware of the life of the subject of the film, John Davidson MBE, having watched a few different documentaries about him – QED: John’s Not Mad (1986)The Boy Can’t Help It (2002) and Tourette’s: I Swear I Can't Help It (2009).
Before watching these documentaries, I knew a little about Tourette’s Syndrome, the condition John Davidson has lived with since he was diagnosed as a teenager. However, what, I knew was based largely on some stereotypes. I had thought everyone with Tourette’s swore and shouted inappropriate things, when in fact the range of symptoms is much broader and “Coprolalia” (involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks) is only experienced by around 10% of those with Tourette’s. Other symptoms include physical and vocal tics, sudden and violent body movements, severed OCD (Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder) and Echolalia (the repetition of vocalizations made by another person).
I can thoroughly recommend the film, and the documentaries I mention above. They are all extremely informative, deal with the subject matter sensitively and at the same time manage to “find the funny”, laughing with Tourette’s sufferers at some of the funnier results of their condition. The film I swear is a dramatization of John Davidson’s life, from the first time he suffered any symptoms, through the problems and challenges this gave him as an adolescent (excellently portrayed by Scott Ellis Watson), and then his experiences as an adult, including the work he has undertaken to raise awareness of his condition. The adult version of John is played by Robert Aramayo, who has been nominated for several awards.
It was at the latest of these Awards ceremonies that controversy struck.
On the night Aramayo was crowned both Best Actor in a Leading Role and "Rising Star" by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), with the film having been nominated for 6 awards, John Davidson MBE (who as well as being the subject of the film is one of its producers) was in the audience. On several occasions during the pre-recorded ceremony (the awards were broadcast with a 2 hour delay) his Tourette’s manifest itself with various symptoms, including Coprolalia tics. During the presentation of an award by Paddington Bear, it is reported John shouted “Paedophile”. This was edited out of the subsequent broadcast. However, as actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the first category of the night: Best Special Visual Effects, John shouted the word “Nigger”, arguably the Delroy most horrific racial slur possible. This was doubly-horrifying as Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo are both African-American. This tic was not edited from the broadcast, and host Alan Cumming apologised for any upset caused and thanked the audience for their understanding, explaining the nature of Tourette’s. John Davidson left the ceremony of his own accord.
I don’t want to dwell on the incident itself. Clearly, it was upsetting for many people to hear this tic, especially members of the Black community, most notably Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo themselves. It was also clearly upsetting for John Davidson to have said it, as the nature of his condition means that his brain overrides his attempts to moderate his speech by saying the most offensive thing possible at any given time. As a straight white man with no disability, I wouldn’t presume to speak for any of these three parties. However, as someone active in the comedy industry, I have been saddened, dismayed and really frustrated at the way that this incident has been used as material by a handful of people in the industry. Although I won’t specifically name those involved, many of you reading may already be aware, or be able to work it out. The who is less important here than the detail of how they reacted.
Our first player is an actor, comedian, singer, and film producer. On Instagram he replied to a post about the incident by entertainment website The Neighborhood Talk by saying, simply, “Nah he meant that shit”, and in a further comment he added “Unacceptable”. It’s worth pointing out that arguably his most famous film role the film Django Unchained contains 110 uses of “the N Word”, leading to this article in the Guardian in 2013, entitled “Has Django Unchained defused the 'n-bomb'?”.
Our second player is a comedian and actor, who is not hugely well-known on this side of the Atlantic. He is best known for his role in a sitcom based around a wealthy black family, and he has three Netflix Stand Up Comedy specials. On 28th February he hosted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards, almost a week after the BAFTAs. He referenced the incident, delivering a mock prayer by saying:
“If there are any white men in the room with Tourette's, I advise you to tell them to read the room, lord. It might not go the way they thinketh. Whatever medicine they on, they better double up on it, lord."
Finally, Saturday Night Live (I feel comfortable naming them) produced a sketch referencing the incident. The sketch depicted a range of disgraced celebrities referencing their own previous misdemeanours and crimes, before blaming Tourette’s for making them behave the way they did. These included a portrayal of Bill Cosby, who claimed Tourette’s led to him inadvertently drugging women before sexually assaulting them (Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018. This conviction was later overturned on appeal due to procedural issues).
It also featured portrayals of Mel Gibson (blaming Tourette’s for his antisemitism), Armie Hammer (blaming Tourette’s for allegations of sexual abuse and cannibalism – yes that’s right, cannibalism), J.K. Rowling (blaming Tourette’s for her obsession with Trans rights) , Louis CK (blaming Tourette’s for allegations of sexual misconduct from five women) and Ye (which is apparently what Kanye West is calling himself these days) who simply says “I got like 50 different types of Tourette’s”. Note: There is only one type of Tourette’s.
The sketch includes this line from “Armie Hammer”:
“But since it’s Tourette’s, I guess I have to be forgiven, if not celebrated”
Finally, the sketch concludes with a page of text which reads:
Why am I so bothered by this? Well, firstly I guess I am always a little baffled when members of one group of people who have been subjected to prejudice, abuse and ignorance demonstrate prejudice, abuse and ignorance to another group, but again I must reiterate – I have no skin in the game here. I am a white guy who does not have Tourette’s. So this is not the point of me writing this.
“What is the point then, G?!” I hear you ask. Well, firstly I didn’t find any of this comedic content funny.
Player 2’s “bit” at the NAACP Image awards would only work as a comedic concept if certain aspects were based on truth. Aside from the notion of there being an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient entity (“lord”) which is probably the least troubling aspect of the “bit”, these are the mistaken assertions or implications that:
Tourette’s, and specifically Coprolalia, manifests differently according to race – “If there are any white men in the room with Tourette's”
People with Tourette’s can adjust their behaviour – “I advise you to tell them to read the room, lord”
People with Tourette’s plan their tics – “It might not go the way they thinketh”
Medication can completely remove Coprolalia tics from people with Tourette’s – “Whatever medicine they on, they better double up on it, lord.”
Note: Tourette’s is a condition which is lived with by people of all races. Tics are involuntary. Coprolalia specifically results in a verbal tic which means the sufferer involuntarily shouts or utters the most offensive thing possible at any given time. There is no cure for Tourette's. There is no single most effective medication, and no one medication effectively treats all symptoms. Most medications prescribed for tics have not been approved for that use, and no medication is without the risk of significant adverse effects.
The Saturday Night Live sketch, which was not broadcast but was released on YouTube and to date has over 1.4million views, only works if the viewer believes that John Davidson intended to shout the word “Nigger” at two black men, on camera in a crowded room, and that his reason for doing so is because he is a racist. It also requires the viewer to accept that he did this, knowing he could excuse his behaviour by claiming his Tourette’s made him do it.
To be blunt, this is an utterly ridiculous take. Remember, John Davidson was in the room because a film about his life was nominated for 6 awards, and that film is focused on his lived experience of having Tourette’s. The film opens with a scene of him collecting his MBE from the late Queen Elizabeth II for services to People with Tourette's Syndrome. At the MBE Ceremony he yelled “Fuck the Queen!” and this is shown in the film.
What is not shown in the film is that on the day of the ceremony, during a routine security check where police used mirrors to inspect for explosives under his car, John’s Tourette’s caused him to shout: "A bomb! I've got a fucking bomb!", and later that day he yelled “I’m a paedo” in the corridors of Holyrood Palace.
John later told the BBC:
"I began ticcing and shouting and I was absolutely mortified. But then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was one of the Royal Archers, the Queen's bodyguards while she's in Holyrood, and a voice said 'Don't stress, she knows all about your condition'. That to me was huge because I've struggled so much with everyday life, with people misunderstanding, and if the Queen of the United Kingdom can understand and ignore the tics and the swear words then why can't the rest of society?"
I can almost hear the protests from people reading this. You know - the kind of people who say things like “the woke brigade are ruining comedy” and “you can’t joke about anything anymore”.
I want to be clear. As a comedian, a comedy promoter, someone who teaches comedy and ultimately as a fan of comedy, I firmly believe that there Is no subject that is off limits for comedy. Not a single topic. In my opinion, all of the most horrific subjects in life are ripe for being explored. As I tell my comedy students (and I’ll paraphrase here) just don’t be cruel, and make sure it’s funny.
There is an oft used idea in comedy – “punching up versus punching down”. In a nutshell, most comedians broaching any potentially sensitive or controversial topics will ask themselves some questions, including:
Who is the victim of the joke?
Is it fair for them to be the victim of the joke?
Are they of a higher or lower status than the joker?
In my view, the incident at the BAFTAs is no different. There is scope for this to be the subject of a comedic “bit” and manage to be funny without being cruel. (What that might look like, I’m not sure, and that’s not the point of this blog.)
My point is that what we’ve had here has resulted in Player 1, who received award nominations for appearing in a film that uses the word “Nigger” over 100 times, stating with absolute certainty that John Davidson meant to say that same word, and that this was unacceptable.
It has resulted in Player 2, a highly successful and well-known celebrity, with all the privilege that affords, has made a joke that implies John Davidson was able to stop himself from shouting the worst possible word at the worst possible time, but somehow chose not to.
It has resulted in Saturday Night Live, a comedy show that is known around the world, that recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary, and that propelled some of the greatest comedians and comedic actors in history to greatness, producing a sketch suggesting that it is ok to excuse sexual assault, antisemitism, transphobia and even cannibalism if you simply claim Tourette’s made you do it.
Comedy is a joy to be involved with. Laughter is often a cure-all. Comedy has, for me, been therapy (as well as a source of stress and more) since I crossed the 4th wall from audience to performer. Comedy is also a privilege. That privilege is most glaringly obvious when it is wielded by those at the very top of the comedy hierarchy. With that privilege, I believe, come responsibilities.
A responsibility to entertain? Always.
A responsibility to inform? Often.
A responsibility to speak truth to power? Definitely, when it can.
A responsibility not to offend? No, absolutely not. One person’s favourite joke may be another person’s most offensive.
But a responsibility to show empathy? To show understanding? To not misrepresent facts on a sensitive issue just to get a laugh? I’d argue that this is right up there as the biggest responsibility.
I recently performed at 3 English language comedy shows in Berlin, and I wrote a set specifically for these. I decided to challenge myself to discuss topics I knew would be sensitive in that setting, but to do so in a way that was funny without punching down. I discussed Hitler, Nazism, World War 2, paedophilia and the holocaust. Not one promoter, comedian or audience member expressed any offence, at any of the routine. Indeed, one Berliner actually thanked me for my final joke, the final word of which is “Auschwitz”. Eric explained to me that he always respected comedians he felt were bold enough to talk about this, and that he appreciated that the joke was not cruel, in no way glorified or dismissed the holocaust, and actually had me as the “victim”. His parting shot was “we should never leave it to the Nazis”.
So, do I think Tourette’s is off limits for comedy? Hell no. Some of the moments in the film I Swear that are most memorable and entertaining are moments where the audience is invited to laugh at elements of the condition. The key here is, those moments are never cruel to those who have the condition. Instead they highlight why you might want to think twice before letting John Davidson make you a brew.
What I do think, in conclusion, is that Player 1, Player 2 and Saturday Night Live all got this very badly wrong, and that it is hard to excuse their responses. They all hold a privileged position within the worlds of entertainment and comedy, and they have all chosen to use the platform and privilege this has afforded them to attack a working-class caretaker from Galashiels whose disability has led to him spending his whole life apologising for saying and doing things over which he literally has absolutely no control. This is a man who has been physically attacked and hospitalized due to his condition on multiple occasions and has been suicidal as a result of his condition.
I love Saturday Night Live. I have for years, and their take is the most disappointing to me. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of Player 2 until this week, and Player 1 is someone I can take or leave. However, some of my biggest comedy heroes have appeared as regular cast members on SNL – John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, Tina Fey, Norm McDonald, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Eddie Murphy – I could list them all night. A great many of these are from communities that have suffered systematic oppression, prejudice and abuse.
In 1975, SNL famously aired a sketch featuring Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor hurling racial slurs at each other during a word association test. The current hosts of the famous “Weekend Update” segment regularly write material for one another for the show’s Christmas specials and season finales. These jokes are not shown to each other, being delivered live the first time they are revealed. This segment often involves Host 1 (who is Black) writing jokes for Host 2 (who is white) to deliver that make it appear he is racist, while Host 2 writes jokes that make Host 1 appear sleazy, with jokes suggesting he abuses children and indulges in bestiality.
I just wish SNL had written something better. Something that invited the audience to laugh at the realities of Tourette’s in a similar way to I Swear, rather than something that played on myths and ignorance about it, at the same time as effectively labelling John Davidson racist hiding behind a disability.
What a missed opportunity. They punched down, when they usually punch up.
So, when I am teaching my comedy students (shameless plug time: our current course is ¼ of the way through, and we have a new one starting in May) what will I tell them?
I will, as I always do, tell them to really think about what they want to say. That comedy is a serious business. And most importantly, I'll remind them to “be funny, and don’t be a C***”
I Swear is still showing in selected cinemas and is also available to rent or buy from various streaming services. It will be available to stream for Netflix subscribers from 10th March.
To find out more about Tourette’s visit www.tourettes-action.org.uk
We also recommend visiting www.touretteshero.com – in their own words:
“touretteshero.com is a place to celebrate the humour & creativity of Tourette’s. It’s not about mocking or commiserating - it’s about reclaiming the most frequently misunderstood syndrome on the planet and changing the world one tic at a time!"
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