BBC accused of censoring Siobhán McSweeney’s Bafta speech addressing ‘stupid’ Government

“It’s time they started to wise up”.

The BBC has been accused of censoring Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney’s BAFTA acceptance speech last night.

The Cork-born actor was awarded best female performance in a comedy programme for her portrayal of Sister Michael in Derry Girls. The series has been widely praised for its portrayal of life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Speaking highly of the people of Derry during her speech, Siobhán took the opportunity to mention their resilience, despite the “ignorance and stupidity” of Government leaders in Dublin, Belfast and London.

Siobhán McSweeney as Sister Michael in Derry Girls, image via Channel 4.

“To the people in Derry, thank you taking me into your hearts and your living rooms,” she said.

“I am daily impressed with how you encompass the spirit of compromise and resilience despite the indignities, ignorance and stupidity of your so-called leaders (in) Dublin, Stormont and Westminster.

“In the words of my beloved Sister Michael, ‘it’s time they started to wise up’.”

However, the BBC omitted some of Siobhán’s speech from their broadcast.

In clips shared on Twitter by user @OhHeyJacob, Siobhán’s speech cuts from “To the people in Derry, thank you taking me into your hearts and your living rooms” straight to “Thank you so much.”

Alongside the clips which have been viewed over 2 million times, Jacob wrote: “What actually happened VS what the BBC aired. Tell me again how the BBC is unbiased? Why have they cut that out?”

What actually happened VS what the BBC aired. Tell me again how the BBC is unbiased? Why have they cut that out? @siobhni @scottygb pic.twitter.com/aAz6MeCg6p

— Jacob 🏳️‍🌈 (@OhHeyJacob) May 15, 2023

A spokesperson for the BBC told Lovin:

“As in previous years, due to the nature of the show it is broadcast with a short delay, and while we always aim to keep the core sentiment of acceptance speeches, edits have to be made due to time constraints.”

They added that all acceptance speeches are available to watch in full on YouTube.

Header image via BBC 

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