A middle-aged man enters a lavish, grand room; this is his moment. He nervously awaits the honour of a lifetime, to be awarded an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II. Everyone is seated, quiet and calm, ''f*ck the Queen!'' is suddenly blurted out across the room to an understandably stunted audience. And with that, this biographical drama about John Davidson kicks off.
As I write this, the recent controversy at the UK 2026 BAFTA Awards ceremony has just about died down. So without trying to jump on any bandwagons, I will be truthful. Up until this incident, I did not know about John Davidson or that much about Tourette's. Yes I've heard of Tourette's, but I was completely uneducated on the facts. As for John Davidson, I knew nothing of this man. I have never seen the old BBC documentary 'John's Not Mad', but I do vaguely remember it from back in the day.
So I went into this pretty blind really, only going off the overplayed controversy that recently bubbled up. Although, unlike some, I was aware of Tourette's, so I had a basic understanding of what to expect. What I saw was a genuinely thought-provoking biopic that not only got me thinking, it pulled at my heartstrings too. The story is a simple one, nothing that you haven't heard before truth be told. A young lad growing up in a blue-collar environment (in Scotland), in a relatively poor family, struggles but eventually overcomes his problems as the years go by. The obvious difference here is not money or drugs or whatever, it's an uncontrollable condition that makes normal life extremely hard, nigh on impossible.
So, as I watched this story unfold, I started to understand John's dilemma. It suddenly dawned on me how much of a nightmare his life was back then. I am nearly 50 years old, and I grew up in the 80's and 90's. The majority of people around my age will know how different life was back in those eras, and without sounding too condescending, younger folk simply won't understand. I grew up at a time when respect for your elders was paramount. I was raised to act a certain way, to not say certain things, to behave a certain way, to do certain things. I knew what was expected, and I knew what was frowned upon. If ever I put a foot out of place, repercussions could be swift and at times painful. Yes, the 80s were for many, the era of slipper, wooden spoon, and even belt punishments.
So what I'm saying is, as a kid, I knew to behave. I would often get into trouble, but it wasn't deliberate; it was stupidity. At the same time, you knew where to draw the line. The mere thought of even being dragged into the Headmaster's office was enough to terrify me, not just because of what the school might do, but what my parents would do. So, I'm sitting watching this film about a young boy who is uncontrollably shouting out severe profanities, spitting at people, hitting people etc...and he can't stop it or explain why, it made me quite anxious. It made me think a lot about my childhood, and how the consequences of doing something like that would probably have been astronomical!
I think the early part of this film showcasing how painful John Davidson's life must have been growing up, is by far the best and more impactful. Not only do I think the young actor (Scott Ellis Watson) who portrayed Davidson put in a better performance (no disrespect to Robert Aramayo, who was also brilliant), but I think it made more of a power punch hammering home John's predicament. This was in an era when people weren't properly educated on something as serious as HIV, so you just can't imagine how something like Tourette's was looked upon.
The film isn't all doom and gloom though. There are many moments throughout when you can smile, you can laugh, although I was asking myself if I should. When John goes for a job interview at the local community centre with old boy Tommy (Peter Mullan), his lengthy interview definitely makes you laugh. The odd little comment he makes towards people or in the heat of a moment can also be funny, although counter to that, it also shows how Tourette's can put someone in a lot of trouble. Cliche alert! The film is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. One minute you can be giggling, the next you're slapped across the face.
I did learn some things from this film too. For instance, I thought John was born with Tourette's, I just assumed it was something people are born with. Nope, apparently not. As we find out in the film, John developed it as a young boy. Bit of Googling and I am now more aware, and that's the aim.
Anywho, I think if there's one thing the BAFTA incident has done, it's brought WAY more attention to a film that probably would have gone under the radar for many people. The ironic fact that the very same people at said event, wanting to show understanding and empathy towards a minority group and their disability, couldn't actually do so when faced with said disability, and resorted to the very same pitchfork mob mentality as depicted in the film they were there to award, is astounding! The celebs were inadvertently given one chance to actually prove their empathy, totally failed, and apparently still don't understand why! Unreal!
So, to round this up. The film will open your eyes, you might not think so, but you end up fully understanding (at least older folk will, not so sure about the smartphone generations). All the performances are top-notch, award-winning. Most of the actors don't even come across as if they're acting for Pete's sake, they really are that good. Peter Mullan being a clear standout. It's a tough film, no doubt about that, and at times the story feels a bit cheesy. John going into a nightclub, gee I wonder what will happen here. But this only shows how even the simple things were almost impossible for John to enjoy. The film shows how isolating this disability can be, how one person can overcome insurmountable odds, and offers us, the viewers, low points that make the high points much more valuable.
Lastly, can I just ask? Who remembers that Cadbury's Flake advert?? Eh? That really brought back some retro advert memories right there, oh boy! I hadn't seen that in literally decades.
9/10
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