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Comments by Reggie Yates & Lenny Henry
BlizzardUK
Posts: 4,965 Forum Member
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Just wondered what people think about their comments about the lack of black people on TV ?
One thing that frustrates me a bit is when we are told colour shouldn't matter, people are people, if you see someone as a race then you are racist. Yet the same people who say those things go on all the time about the lack of black talent on British TV. From what I know of this country from census info I just looked up, 91% is white (of any type, not just British), and just 2 percent is black, with the others made of Asian and Indian and such like. So 2% is black.
So if they want to see things in a race way, then the TV is made up correctly. Of course if you live in some parts of the country it is made up more of different races, but from the country as a whole, which TV is aimed at, it is 2% black. In fact there should be more Indians than black people on TV if they wish to view things from that perspective.
Why should it matter ? Reggie says (if his words were not misinterpreted) people like Bruce and Ant and Dec are not "like him". So is he saying black presenters act differently ? When the BBC PC panicked last time about the lack of diversity they put on Amos for heavens sakes, lets not panic again, please.
Have they perhaps not thought that maybe, just maybe, not enough black people are training to be presenters ? Or given the low amount in the UK perhaps the ones that are presenting are just not good enough. Should we put someone who is bad on TV just because they have darker skin than someone else ? Is race really more than just a different complexion skin ?
Any thoughts ?
One thing that frustrates me a bit is when we are told colour shouldn't matter, people are people, if you see someone as a race then you are racist. Yet the same people who say those things go on all the time about the lack of black talent on British TV. From what I know of this country from census info I just looked up, 91% is white (of any type, not just British), and just 2 percent is black, with the others made of Asian and Indian and such like. So 2% is black.
So if they want to see things in a race way, then the TV is made up correctly. Of course if you live in some parts of the country it is made up more of different races, but from the country as a whole, which TV is aimed at, it is 2% black. In fact there should be more Indians than black people on TV if they wish to view things from that perspective.
Why should it matter ? Reggie says (if his words were not misinterpreted) people like Bruce and Ant and Dec are not "like him". So is he saying black presenters act differently ? When the BBC PC panicked last time about the lack of diversity they put on Amos for heavens sakes, lets not panic again, please.
Have they perhaps not thought that maybe, just maybe, not enough black people are training to be presenters ? Or given the low amount in the UK perhaps the ones that are presenting are just not good enough. Should we put someone who is bad on TV just because they have darker skin than someone else ? Is race really more than just a different complexion skin ?
Any thoughts ?
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Comments
1. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s154/the-voice-uk/news/a481907/the-voice-uk-host-reggie-yates-tv-needs-more-black-presenters.html
2. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a482005/lenny-henry-its-odd-there-were-no-black-people-nominated-at-baftas.html
Lenny's been desperate for decent work for years.
He's not going to blame his own lack of talent now is he?:rolleyes:
Aah...ha...ho haa...hoo hoo ha......ha
Maybe TV has fewer black people than would be in the urban centres where the media conglomerate, but apart from specific shows set there I don't think TV has a duty to necessarily reflect that. Their focus on London or Salford/Manchester may skew their idea of what Britain as a whole actually looks like.
Questioning whether this means the best people get the jobs.... really? They only have to read an autocue. Does Bruse Forsythe do it that well? Holly Willoughby? If surgeons were picked to satisfy racial quotas you might have cause to worry. But TV fans vote with their remotes. Anyone truly awful doesn't tend to last that long (except Gary Lineker.)
I want to see if he still acts but can't remember his name or the names of the shows I saw him in, except an episode of One Foot in the Grave I think..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj9y9ApEkG0
Imo Brucie should have long since retired. He was a very slick presenter in his younger days, though (eg The Generation Game).
Admittedly, I don't watch much tv these days, but I wasn't aware of any deliberate attempt to prevent black people from acting in/presenting tv shows.
Have they not thought that possibly, just possibly that they ain't good enough to be on tv?
What are we supposed to do? Drag them kicking and screaming from the streets?
Same as when the black police officers association say there aren't enough black police officers? Again, maybe if those that apply are not good enough, they won't get in. You can't lower standards just to let more people in just because their race isn't represented enough.
Idiots
He has had to put up with a lot of racism. He and Dawn French were possibly the first high-profile mixed race couple in the British entertainment world and they got a lot of hate, including actual shit posted through their door.
I wouldn't blame him for feeling bitter. You don't see many of his generation of comedians still working though.
I think it maybe something to do with the fact that he just isn't and never has been funny! However, as a serious actor, I rate him quite highly!
I always watched his sketch show when I was a kid. Mind you, I never missed Russ Abbott's show either:o
I think the only thing he ever did that I found quite funny was his parody of Doctor Who!
All of those people you mention are still on TV, in fact Floella is on right now on CBeebies (in a trailer for her TV show). But also kids TV is full of different ethnic groups, more so than the demographic percentage of the country.
To be fair presenting isn't just an auto-cue, you need to have to have charisma and be able to present and listen to constant babble in your ear at the same time and reach time targets, it is harder than many think. True that Bruce isn't the best, but he has been on TV for 60 years so is so well known he is still used, if he came today to get a job on TV he wouldn't get it. Although the BBC has been PC about ageism too.
Do you remember Little Miss Jocelyn ? That show was rushed in for PC reasons, and it was pretty much universally rated as terrible.
They're not like me either. And perhaps that's why they're on TV and I'm not.
I don't think that black people are genuinely unrepresented on television if he's speaking about hard numbers.
Right now The Chase is on in the background with Shaun Wallace as The Chaser.
There are four chasers and the host Bradley Walsh. That means that a black person makes up a fifth of the regulars on the show.
I frequently see black people on television. But I haven't done an actual head count to know if there are more or less than what would be seen to be a fair representation.
I don't know what they believe to be the correct amount of black people there should be on television. Do they say?
Is there a specific percentage they would be happy with?
2%, 10%, 25%?
What do they want?
What in their minds would be fair?
Are they implying that the fault in their eyes lies with the people in charge who do the hiring?
The problem is that TV and was at once point more consciously racist than it is now. This led to a total lack of black people on TV. Black people watching TV then get the message pretty quickly - being on "TV is not for us. Do not try. We are not represented or wanted there."
This, of course, means that fewer black people even try to get on television, so even if the stations aren't intentionally racist, the previous under representation of black people on TV has already had the side effect of deterring black people from trying and so on and so forth. If we want more representation and to show everyone that people of all skin colours, ethnicities and backgrounds are welcome on TV, then yeah, it might be necessary to make a conscious effort to actively seek out and hire black/ethnic minority talent.
Reggie should be thankful he benefits from positive discrimination and not whine, and be humble and not arrogant, as he came across in article
For example I'd say that the BBC maybe over-represent ethnic minorities. So they probably easily make up any quotient balance they may aim for.
But most other channels, of which there are a lot, maybe underrepresent them?