BBC cuts Derry Girls actor Siobhan McSweeney's BAFTA speech criticising the government

Derry Girls actor Siobhan McSweeney saw part of her winning speech at the BAFTAs cut by the BBC on Sunday after she criticised the government.

McSweeney scooped the award for best female performance in a comedy programme as the formidable Sister Michael in the smash hit Channel 4 comedy - and dedicated the award to her family as well as the community in Derry.

"To the people of Derry... thank you for taking me into your hearts and into your livings rooms, 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," she said to huge cheers from the audience.

"In the words of my beloved Sister Michael, it's time they started to wise up. Thank you so much."

The full stream of her speech aired on the BAFTA YouTube, however, the BBC's coverage showed a much shorter version of her speech.

The clipped version showed McSweeney saying: "To the people of Derry - thank you for taking me into your hearts and your living rooms... thank you so much."

The BBC footage had a clear cut in the middle of the segment.

Sharing the clipped version alongside the full version on Twitter, one user wrote: "For clarity. One is the BAFTA YouTube channel which isn’t BBC affiliated, the other is the BBC edit that they broadcast and put on iPlayer."

In a statement, a BBC Spokesperson said: “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.”

The BBC, which insists it remains an impartial broadcaster, has faced recent claims of bias after the Gary Lineker saga - which saw the sports presenter hit with a temporary suspension from Match of the Day, after he tweeted criticism of the government's immigration policy.

Read more: Who is outgoing BBC chairman Richard Sharp, and what was the crisis that brought him down?

More recently, the resignation of chairman Richard Sharp prompted further claims of bias after it emerged he breached BBC impartiality rules when he assisted then prime minister Boris Johnson in obtaining a loan.

The broadcaster was also accused by the campaign group Republic of lacking impartiality over its royal coverage around the coronation, but a BBC spokesperson said at the time: “We believe our reporting is fair and duly impartial, and BBC News always seeks to reflect a range of viewpoints in our Royal coverage.”