Brit Awards Host Jack Whitehall Takes Aim At The BBC Over Baftas N-Word Controversy

Brit Awards host Jack Whitehall made it clear early on during this year’s ceremony that he would not be pulling any punches.

As part of his introductory monologue on Saturday night, the comic delivered jibes about several of the A-list nominees, including chart-topper Alex Warren (“what you get if you order Ed Sheeran on Temu”), Mark Ronson (“like if Nick Grimshaw had worked out how to use Garage Band”), Album Of The Year contender Lily Allen (“her album was launched into the charts like a torpedo – only this torpedo didn’t sink a ship, it destroyed a Harbour), performer Robbie Williams (“he’s had more comebacks than his hairline”) and “Songwriter Of The Year… 1996” recipient Noel Gallagher.

Shortly after this, Olivia Dean and Sam Fender picked up the first award of the night, scooping Song Of The Year for their collaboration Rein Me In.

Once the pair delivered their rather subdued acceptance speeches, Jack pointed out to viewers that as the night progressed, the ceremony could well get more raucous, meaning “there may be some swearing”.

“But don’t worry, we’ve got the best in the business on the bleep button tonight,” he added. “It’s the guy who did the Baftas. Nothing gets past him.”

Jack was, of course, referring to the scrutiny the BBC has been under for the last week, after they included an uncensored racist slur in their coverage of this year’s Baftas ceremony, which aired on Sunday night on a two-hour time delay.

The incident occurred when Tourette’s syndrome campaigner John Davidson – attending the ceremony alongside the cast and crew of I Swear, the award-winning film based on his life story – experienced an involuntary tic while Sinners actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting on stage, resulting in him shouting the N-word from his seat.

A day later, the BBC issued an apology and pulled the broadcast from its iPlayer service, and the corporation has since said that an investigation into how the uncensored slur came to be aired is being “fast-tracked”.

Meanwhile, after Delroy Lindo expressed disappointment at how Bafta handled the incident, the film body issued its own apology, accepting “full responsibility” for what transpired.