A new film about John Davidson’s life, I Swear, traces how a teenager became the reluctant poster boy for Tourette’s Syndrome after the 1989 BBC documentary John’s Not Mad. Actor Robert Aramayo plays John as an adult in the StudioCanal drama, which also features Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan. John Davidson served as an executive producer on the project, and I Swear is set to reach UK cinemas from 10 October, with the project described by its writers as both a poignant portrait and a call to action for greater understanding of Tourette’s.
The film’s writer and director, Kirk Jones, says the story is incredibly sad but at times humorous—a fitting through line for a life that has seen upheaval, tragedy and resilience unfold over four decades. Aramayo spent months with John in Galashiels, the Scottish Borders town where the original notoriety took hold. "We went for walks, for dinner, watched football together and went to the community centre," the actor recalls. "I felt very lucky to spend so much time with him. He'll be in my life now, hopefully forever." John, who was 16 when the notoriety began, was an executive producer on I Swear as he sought to ensure the film reflects his lifelong advocacy for people with Tourette’s.
In the film, the wider Tourette’s community is represented as well, with Andrea Bisset among the actors bringing real voices to the screen. Bisset, already known online for sharing her experiences and driving lessons, takes a small but meaningful role that Could serve as a stepping stone toward an acting career. For John, sharing the screen with actors who understand his world is itself a milestone. "It’s so surreal to be sitting watching yourself on screen," he says. "It’s bizarre but also very humbling." The project’s cast also includes Peter Mullan, with Maxine Peake and Shirley Henderson in prominent roles as part of a cast that aims to illuminate life with Tourette’s in a new light, beyond the stereotype often shown in media.
Since John’s earlier spotlight, attitudes toward Tourette’s have shifted dramatically. NHS statistics indicate the condition affects around one in a hundred school-aged children in the UK, a figure that underscores the film’s aim to broaden public understanding. Pop star Lewis Capaldi’s recent public diagnosis is cited by the film to illustrate how much the conversation has changed since the 1980s and 1990s when misinformation and stigma ran deeper. While coprolalia—the involuntary swearing sometimes associated with Tourette’s—remains a trope in popular culture, the condition rarely presents in that way for the majority of people who are on the spectrum for other co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, OCD, anxiety or autism. The film’s writers note that the landscape today includes more resources, though the social risks of public displays of tics have also grown, particularly online and in crowded public spaces.
"Back then, we knew Tourette’s existed but it was a rare condition. There’s nothing rare about it now. Millions live with it," John says. "This film raises awareness but it also gives people the grit and determination to keep going, fight on for their kids, go to schools, go to your local MPs. We need people to stand up and listen." Jones adds that the project seeks to foster empathy and patience: a byword for a generation more likely to pause, understand and engage rather than shy away from someone who tics or swears in public. A fan who had an encounter after a screening reflected the shift in attitudes: if she had met someone like John on her way to the cinema, she says, she would have understood more about what was going on rather than reacting with suspicion or fear.
Hunting through John’s past reveals a series of moments that helped shape his vocation as an advocate. In 2019 he received an MBE for campaigning work, a ceremony at Holyrood Palace that brought its own nerves. He recalls tics and shouts in the moment but found reassurance in a Royal Archer—one of the Queen’s bodyguards—who told him, "Don’t stress, she knows all about your condition." John says that reassurance marked a turning point: if the Queen could understand and ignore the tics and swearing, why couldn’t the rest of society?
I Swear is produced by StudioCanal and set for release in UK cinemas on 10 October, rated Certificate 15. The film’s production highlights the evolution of public conversations around Tourette’s from a little understood condition to a widely acknowledged spectrum of experiences that intersect with ADHD, OCD and other neurodevelopmental profiles. By centering John’s story alongside the voices of fellow tic disorders advocates, the project aims to offer both a personal portrait and a broader, practical framework for inclusion.
