Is television racially biased? Many believe the BBC has done too little, too late, to counter decades of prejudice in the way people of colour have been represented in popular drama.
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Finally, after 60 years, a Black Doctor Who
Is television racially biased? Many believe the BBC has done too little, too late, to counter decades of prejudice in the way people of colour have been represented in popular drama.
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When Doctor Who was first broadcast in 1963, Britain was still an imperial power, exercising often brutal rule over colonies in AfricaFrom the late 19th Century until the 1960s, Britain colonised much of West, East and southern Africa.. Racial discrimination would not be criminalised for another two years. Black people found themselves shut out of housing and employment.
Almost six decades later, the long-running series has just announced its first-ever Black lead. Ncuti Gatwa, best known for his role in the Netflix production Sex Education, will become the 14th Doctor when the programme returns next year.
The series has diversified its cast since it was rebooted in 2005. Noel Clarke played Mickey Smith, the Doctor's first Black companion on TV, followed by Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones. In 2020, Jo Martin became the first non-White person to play the role of the Doctor when she appeared as one of the character's incarnationsIn the Doctor Who series, the titular character can regenerate whenever they are fatally wounded, resulting in different versions of the same person., the Fugitive Doctor.
The series has also begun to tackle racial issues, broadcasting episodes about Rosa Parks and the Partition of IndiaWhen India won its independence in 1947, Britain divided it into two countries: Pakistan and India. The partition resulted in a bloody civil war, and the two countries remain bitter enemies..
But until now, the main role has remained firmly in the hands of White actors. And some think this is a sign of a more general problem facing Black people in the TV industry.
David Harewood is one of the most recognisable figures on TV. He has appeared on big-budget TV series like Homeland, The Night Manager and The Man in the High Castle, as well as two roles in Doctor Who. Yet in the course of his 30-year career, he has never been cast as a main character.
He says Black actors face unspoken rules that do not exist for White people. If they defy the rules, they lose their jobs.
Many of Britain's most prominent Black actors, including Daniel Kaluuya, Idris Elba and Rege-Jean Page, had to go to the USA to find success.
All three are now in the running to be the next James Bond. Many think it is ironic that the UK now wants to reclaim them for such an iconically British role, given that it was not willing to give them a start earlier in their careers.
And it is not just Black actors who feel the industry works against them. South Asian actors are often typecast as nerds or religious extremists. East Asian actors sometimes have to put on a thick accent for laughs. Asian women rarely appear on our screens.
Yet when actors turn down typecast roles, gaps start to appear on their CVs. It gets harder and harder to find work.
It does seem as if television is changing. Recent years have seen a slew of successful series with Black leads and creators, such as Michaela Cole's I May Destroy You and Noughts + Crosses, based on the novels by Malorie BlackmanA British author most famous for her Noughts and Crosses series, set in an alternative timeline in which Europe was colonised by Africans..
However, some actors of colour think this is tokenismThe practice of symbolically appointing a small number of people of colour to high-profile roles to give the appearance of diversity and equality within a workforce.. They accuse production companies of casting actors of colour in lead roles to get media attention while doing nothing to change the structures that hold them back.
And some feel the increased focus on diversity has only made things more difficult for them. They worry that if they land a big role, it is not because of their own talent, but because the casting team wanted to tick a box.
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Is television racially biased?
Yes: The TV industry is a hive of racist comments, casual discrimination and offensive typecasting. Actors of colour are held back at every level by White gatekeepers.
No: Bit by bit, TV is changing. People of colour are getting more roles and more exposure. We should applaud the progress that TV has made in recent years.
Or... TV reflects wider attitudes and unfair structures in society. Rather than focusing specifically on entertainment, we should be trying to tear down all barriers to marginalised people.
Keywords
Colonies in Africa - From the late 19th Century until the 1960s, Britain colonised much of West, East and southern Africa.
Incarnations - In the Doctor Who series, the titular character can regenerate whenever they are fatally wounded, resulting in different versions of the same person.
Partition of India - When India won its independence in 1947, Britain divided it into two countries: Pakistan and India. The partition resulted in a bloody civil war, and the two countries remain bitter enemies.
Malorie Blackman - A British author most famous for her Noughts and Crosses series, set in an alternative timeline in which Europe was colonised by Africans.
Tokenism - The practice of symbolically appointing a small number of people of colour to high-profile roles to give the appearance of diversity and equality within a workforce.
Finally, after 60 years, a Black Doctor Who
Glossary
Colonies in Africa - From the late 19th Century until the 1960s, Britain colonised much of West, East and southern Africa.
Incarnations - In the Doctor Who series, the titular character can regenerate whenever they are fatally wounded, resulting in different versions of the same person.
Partition of India - When India won its independence in 1947, Britain divided it into two countries: Pakistan and India. The partition resulted in a bloody civil war, and the two countries remain bitter enemies.
Malorie Blackman - A British author most famous for her Noughts and Crosses series, set in an alternative timeline in which Europe was colonised by Africans.
Tokenism - The practice of symbolically appointing a small number of people of colour to high-profile roles to give the appearance of diversity and equality within a workforce.