The moment initially remained on BBC iPlayer before the ceremony was removed from the streaming service on Monday morning.
On Tuesday, Deadline reported that a representative from Warner Bros, external, the studio behind Sinners, complained to Bafta in the minutes after the slur was shouted, and reportedly received assurances that their concerns would be passed on to the BBC. Bafta has been asked for comment.
Butler also questioned why the BBC removed a portion of Bafta winner Akinola Davies Jr’s acceptance speech, which included the line “Free Palestine” and also referred to the importance of migrants’ stories.
The My Father’s Shadow director made the remark as he ended his speech to accept the prize for best debut by a British writer, director or producer.
Davies Jr and his brother Wale, the film’s writer, spoke on stage for two-and-a-half minutes, but their speeches were edited to about one minute for broadcast, which the BBC said was due to time restrictions.
Butler said: “I understand that the BBC has since edited the iPlayer version to remove the racist slur, I would appreciate a written explanation as to why this was not addressed before the delayed broadcast, who was in the editing room, who made the overall decision and why Mr Davies Jr’s remarks were deemed unsuitable while the racist slur was initially left in.”
A BBC spokesperson told Deadline on Monday, external: “The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the programme was delivered to time. All winners’ speeches will be available to watch via Bafta’s YouTube channel.”