BBC2 is 'Britain's whitest TV station' claims race campaigner Trevor Phillips

BBC2: Shows like Wolf Hall were a massive hit but the channel does not appeal to ethnic minority viewers, it has been claimed
Mark Chandler3 March 2016

BBC2 is Britain’s “whitest TV station” and the corporation’s news bulletins do not appeal to ethnic minorities, according to race campaigner Trevor Phillips.

The ex-TV presenter and former Equality and Human Rights Commission chairman claims the station’s programming does not reach a diverse enough audience.

Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention yesterday, Mr Phillips said the channel “is by some distance, Britain’s whitest TV station”.

He cited figures showing 5.7 per cent of Britain’s TV viewers watch BBC2, which has had big hits with shows like Wolf Hall, but that number plunges to 3.3 per cent for black and ethnic minority people.

And he claimed the figures were worse for the corporation’s current affairs output, with 30 per cent of people watching the Six O’Clock News but only 15 per cent of ethnic minorities doing the same.

Claim: Trevor Phillips
Rex

He drew a parallel with Channel 4, claiming it was the only broadcaster whose programmes appealed to ethnic minority audiences alongside the wider population.

Mr Phillips said: “People of colour are paying nearly £150 a year for the upkeep of services that actually don’t serve them.

“I would say that whoever regulates the BBC, that is a question that should be near the top of the charter renewal debate. That’s the political imperative.”

His comments come 15 years after former BBC boss Greg Dyke called the broadcaster “hideously white”.

A BBC spokesman said: "BBC Two has been growing its black, Asian, and ethnic minority audience over the last year. Major seasons of programming on India and China have aired recently and a new season on black Britain is being shown this Autumn.

"New and established talent such as Liz Bonnin, David Olusoga, Dr Saleyha Ahsan, Anita Rani, Romesh Ranganathan, Javone Prince, Rory Reid, Patrick Ayree, Monica Galetti, Jing Lusi and Reggie Yates all feature in a wide range of BBC Two programmes.

"Three quarters of black, Asian and minority ethinic (BAME) audience households feel that the BBC serves them well and BBC One is the most popular channels across all BAME audiences.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in