Is British Tv Too "white"?

[ToraToraTora]

http://news.sky.com/story/1227815/lenny-henry-attacks-britains-white-tv

[anotheoldgit]

Yes, time we had Black & White television again.

[Bazile]

They do seem to be more represented , over in the USA .

A stark example over here , is their lack of presence on news programmes

[Ric.ror]

I was furious when I read about this

No Mr Henry British TV is not too white - it is too Londoncentric

[anotheoldgit]

/// He said executives must meet two out of three criteria that 50% of on-screen and production staff are from an ethnic minority and that 30% of the company is controlled by black people. ///

That should come about when 50% of the population are ethnic minorities, and 30% of the population are Black.

Lenny Henry was once a funny guy, but spoilt himself when he became racist, with jokes about white people.

[jomifl]

Lenny Henry isn't white enough, as most British would disagree with him..

[viv38]

Lenny Henry loves the sound of his own voice, he often has a rant about black -v- white and yet the two loves of his life have been white !!

[anotheoldgit]

Bazile

/// They do seem to be more represented , over in the USA .///

That is because it is a much larger country and also has a much greater ethnic mix.

/// A stark example over here , is their lack of presence on news
programmes ///

Obviosly you do not watch the BBC News.

[emmie]

no.

[boxtops]

Indded AOG - a large percentage of newsreaders and presenters on news programmes are "not white".

[jno]

yes. Ric.ror is right about it being too Londoncentric, too.

[New Judge]

I think the problem is that the population as a whole is too white. At 88% or so I think it's a *** outrage. I think white people are disproportionately representative of the population. Something must be done.

[Snafu03]

has he not seen 'Crimewatch'

[sp1814]

AOG

"Lenny Henry was once a funny guy, but spoilt himself when he became racist, with jokes about white people."

Pardon?

[sp1814]

NJ

That's not a fair representation.

88% of the population may be white, but if you look at programming - especially drama, comedy, film etc - they are overwhelmingly set within urban areas...which have a much higher ethnic minority population.

Therefore, if television is weighted towards urban areas, and these areas have a broader mix of ethnicities, then it stands to reason that this should be reflected in programming.

It's the Notting Hill effect. A film set in Notting Hill where there were no black or Asian faces.

Incidentally, whilst I understand Mr Henry's argument, I think his concluding representation within the industry is ludicrously high.

[EDDIE51]

I think we see a higher % of black faces on TV than there are in real life.
Some areas of the UK have a higher % of black faces than others but overall I think the % is higher on TV.

[Bazile]

aog

//Obviosly you do not watch the BBC News. //

On the contrary - however in this case i had for some reason in my mind
' black ' people
Indeed there are of course a decent amount of ' non whites'

[TWR]

Who put this so called Comedian in the position that he's in today?

[sp1814]

AOG

Regarding America. Around 17.5% of Americans are either black or Asian. In Britain, the figure is 14.5%.

It's not a big difference.

[ludwig]

// He said executives must meet two out of three criteria that 50% of on-screen and production staff are from an ethnic minority and that 30% of the company is controlled by black people. //

Twit. Has he really thought that through, or just pulled a couple of ridiculous figures out of a hat?

[anotheoldgit]

TWR

/// Who put this so called Comedian in the position that he's in today? ///

He should stick to what he does best, that is snuggling up in a Premier Inn.