The BBC isn’t woke enough.
That’s the kind of joke that would end up on Mock the Week’s cutting room floor. But believe it or not, that’s the strongly held view of one of its employees.
We’ve got Radio 5 presenter Nihal Arthanayake. Speaking to a journalism diversity conference yesterday, he revealed working in the BBC’s ‘overwhelmingly white environment’ is affecting his mental health.
Nihal continued: “It’s really affecting me that I walk in and all I see is white people. The hardest thing is to walk into a room, look around and nobody looks like you.”
He also complained that there wasn’t a Muslim person in senior editorial positions. Okay. That’s Nihal’s alleged lived experience and I respect that. But does he think that he’s working for BLM instead of the BBC.
I mean, the population of England and Wales is 82% white, so does the population in general give him mental health problems? That’s kind of what I want to know here, does just walking around give him mental health problems.
In reality, our state broadcaster is fanatical about diversity and inclusion. Just look at the fact the BBC have committed to at least 20% black, Asian and minority ethnic staff, even though that demographic accounts for just 18% of the population.
In 2021, they banned white people from applying to a trainee job on Springwatch and The One Show. White people have not really recovered from that, of course.
They have the BBC Asian Network, described as a radio station featuring music and speech likely to appeal to those with an interest in British Asian lifestyles. One presenter there recently shared an image on social media with the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’.
And then there’s Guz Khan, isn’t there? The Muslim comic who’s been booked to host Have I Got News For You, who’s accused Israel of committing war crimes and partaking in ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. He was also dropped for an Uber Eats ad after casting aspersions about Priti Patel’s own Asian heritage.
Meanwhile, I’ve just spoken with Liz Kershaw, who is just one of several broadcasting veterans to be unceremoniously dumped by the Beeb. She keeps company with the likes of Ken Bruce, Steve Wright, Sue Barker, Vanessa Phelps and Jeremy Clarkson.
How many other over-60s does Nihal actually see in his plush BBC studios? Do you think his employer actually maybe has a problem with ageism more than diversity?
These are questions I would love to pose to Nihal, but of course he’s decided not to respond to our request to appear on my show or provide a statement.
Now look, I don’t claim to have Nihal’s own personal lived experience, but if a white BBC employee stood on stage and said that working with many ethnic minorities is bad for their mental health, I’m not sure they’d have a job to go to the next day.
So does the BBC really have a problem when it comes to diversity and inclusion? Or are they actually just totally consumed by it?
