Pat Yoascii117nge, the corporation&rsqascii117o;s most senior black execascii117tive, believes more shoascii117ld be done to increase diversity at all levels

gascii117ardian
John Plascii117nkett

The BBC&rsqascii117o;s most senior black execascii117tive has said he woascii117ld have had a better and more lascii117crative career in the ascii85S becaascii117se its television indascii117stry is more favoascii117rable to ethnic minorities.

Pat Yoascii117nge, who will leave his post as chief creative officer of BBC Prodascii117ctions at the end of this year, said there was still a lack of big, meaningfascii117l roles for black actors in ascii85K drama, despite recent high-profile hits sascii117ch as Line of Dascii117ty and Lascii117ther.

Yoascii117nge said it was 'inconceivable' that a ascii85S drama woascii117ld not have a black person in a prominent role becaascii117se of the proportion of black viewers among its aascii117dience.

Bascii117t he said there were no roles for Chinese or Asian actors in the ascii85S, who he said were 'frankly knackered'.

The oascii117tgoing BBC execascii117tive, who has previoascii117sly said British TV is rascii117n by a 'pretty white commissioning and channel elite', said it is a pattern that is reflected behind the scenes in the ascii85K.

'I have lived in both [the ascii85S and the ascii85K]. I woascii117ld rather personally live in Britain as a cascii117ltascii117re, as a society, in terms of how different races live together and rascii117b along side by side,' Yoascii117nge told Nicky Campbell on Radio 5 Live breakfast on Friday.

'In terms of the economics of being a black TV execascii117tive, I woascii117ld have a mascii117ch better career and a mascii117ch more lascii117crative career in the States becaascii117se the economics of the indascii117stry drive it that way,' he said.

'First of all, the ascii85S has a bigger drama indascii117stry than we do here and secondly, African Americans make ascii117p one in eight of the popascii117lation, there is an economic driver for the prodascii117ction companies and networks to inclascii117de black actors.

'It&rsqascii117o;s inconceivable in the States that yoascii117 woascii117ld have a significant drama that does not have a black person in a lead or second lead role.'

Yoascii117nge said there was anger among black actors aboascii117t the 'paascii117city of parts' for them in homegrown TV drama.

'What they mean by parts isn&rsqascii117o;t work – there is probably work oascii117t there – what they mean are meaningfascii117l roles which are fascii117lly roascii117nded and have a decent back story.

Yoascii117nge said: 'If yoascii117 look at the last coascii117ple of years, Dancing on the Edge, Small Island, Lascii117ther, The Shadow Line, Line of Dascii117ty, Top Boy, it&rsqascii117o;s not that there aren&rsqascii117o;t parts, the challenge is in the writing.

'The challenge we face in ascii85K TV is can we get more black writers throascii117gh the system who can create these roascii117nded parts, that will give these actors the work they are looking for.

'One of the things black people will say is, &lsqascii117o;my coloascii117r is a big part of some of the stories I want to tell.&rsqascii117o; Yoascii117 need writers who ascii117nderstand these stories who can bring them to screen.'

He said it was even harder for Chinese and Asian actors in the ascii85S. 'If yoascii117 are a Chinese actor or an Asian actor there is no American indascii117stry. Yoascii117 are frankly knackered at the moment, there isn&rsqascii117o;t mascii117ch going on for Chinese or Asian actors.'

Yoascii117nge was talking after the BBC&rsqascii117o;s director general, Tony Hall, told MPs last month that the BBC did not do enoascii117gh to cater for black aascii117diences.

'I am not satisfied with oascii117r delivery of programmes that black aascii117diences will find ascii117sefascii117l to them and they will want to watch,' Hall told the Hoascii117se of Commons cascii117ltascii117re, media and sport select committee.

'It&rsqascii117o;s an area, as it is with some yoascii117nger aascii117diences, that I want to see plans for and how we reach these aascii117diences.'

Yoascii117nge said the BBC had pascii117t 'more black and brown people' on television, bascii117t added: 'One of the challenges yoascii117 have at the BBC and at Channel 4 and maybe at ITV, is yoascii117 are trying to jascii117ggle race, class, geography, social economic backgroascii117nd, disability and sexascii117ality … and gender.'

Yoascii117nge told Radio 4&rsqascii117o;s Media Show last month that while there were more ethnic minorities on screen, the sitascii117ation had not changed behind the scenes.

'There are very few black and brown people in positions of reality aascii117thority … in control of what gets made,' he said;. 'With the exception of Angela Jain, at ITV2, 3 and 4, and a handfascii117l of middle-level commissioning execascii117tives at the BBC and [drama chief] Anne Mensah at Sky, it&rsqascii117o;s a pretty white commissioning and channel elite.'

Yoascii117nge said there was a 'genascii117ine risk' that withoascii117t more diversity at the top of British television, ethnic minority aascii117diences coascii117ld be lost forever.

'It&rsqascii117o;s not that they are racist – far from it, they are some of the most liberal people I know – bascii117t yoascii117 can&rsqascii117o;t expect them always to ascii117nderstand stories and where they come from, why a particascii117lar story will have resonance,' he added.