John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner, will attend the Bafta Scotland awards in November from a separate "relaxed" space rather than the main ceremony hall. The decision follows an independent review into how the British Academy handled the February ceremony, where Davidson's involuntary tics sparked controversy.
Bafta's chair Sara Putt and CEO Jane Millichip announced the arrangement in a letter to members on Thursday. They said the organization had "strengthened and centralised our safeguarding, risk assessment and compliance processes" in response to the review. The special viewing arrangements were made in consultation with "safeguarding and inclusion experts," according to the letter.
In February, Davidson's outburst at the British Academy film awards created a crisis for both Bafta and the BBC. The incident prompted wider scrutiny of how the organization handled the situation and treated the campaigner.
The relaxed space option represents a compromise designed to allow Davidson's attendance while managing operational concerns raised by the earlier incident. Bafta's Scottish branch will organize the awards ceremony. The organization has not detailed what specific measures define the "relaxed" space or how it will function during the ceremony.