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BBC more 'hideously white' than ever as number of black executives drops to all time low
Last updated at 13:07pm on 11.01.08
Still 'hideously white': Former BBC director general Greg Dyke used the phrase to describe the corporation four years ago
Embarrassing new figures show it has even fewer ethnic minority bosses now than it did four years ago when former director general Greg Dyke used the phrase to describe the corporation.
Now the BBC has controversially said it will "fast-track" young ethnic staff to senior positions, leading to accusations of positive discrimination.
This will see it ring-fence half the places on a course designed to find new senior staff specifically for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
This has sparked fury from some politicians who have claimed it is further evidence of the BBC's obsession with "political correctness".
They have also claimed the scheme, which the BBC says will give ethnic staff a "leg-up" the ladder, is "positive discrimination" and may be illegal.
Conservative MP Philip Davies has contacted Sir Trevor Phillips at the Commission for Equality and Human Rights to complain about it.
The politician who sits on the culture, media and sport select committee said: "This kind of approach is absolutely typical of the politically correct culture that dominates the BBC. Jobs should be given on merit, irrespective of ethnic background."
He added: "This is just clear cut positive discrimination and this is the type of thing that just makes people's blood boil. They should be colour blind when employing people."
Latest figures show not only has the BBC failed to hit targets, it has actually gone backwards, in the number of non-white senior staff.
Complaints have been made to Sir Trevor Phillips (pictured) at the Commission for Equality and Human Rights about the low number of non-white senior staff at the BBC
The BBC had set itself a target of 7 per cent by 2008. But latest figures show this has actually dropped to 4.3 per cent.
This equates to around just 40 ethnic executives out of almost 1,000 senior BBC posts, according to trade magazine Broadcast.
Greg Dyke, then director general, put in place the targets after branding the corporation as "hideously white" when spotting just one black face among 80 guests at the management Christmas party.
Dyke had planned for a voluntary programme to have 12.5 per cent of all staff and 7 per cent of senior management from BME groups by the start of 2008.
By the end of last year only 10.9 per cent of the corporation's total workforce came from ethnic minorities, only marginally up from 10 per cent at the end of 2003.
Race relations experts have previously criticised the plans saying they would lead to minorities being resented if the BBC recruited on grounds of race rather than who was best for the job.
By the beginning of 2006 the BBC looked like it was heading towards its targets as the number of BME senior managers had risen to 5.1 per cent. But by the end of 2007 it was back down to 4.3 per cent.
BBC directors announced they were waived their bonuses as a result of missing the targets towards the end of last year.
This spring the corporation will introduce the controversial fast track scheme Of 30 middle management employees chosen for fast-track training, 15 will be BME candidates and a further five disabled staff leaving just 10 jobs open to people from any background.
The one area where the broadcaster has managed to meet its minority targets is among the disabled who now make up 4.5 per cent of all staff, higher than the target of 4.0 per cent set in 2004.
A BBC spokesman said: "The idea of the scheme is to give people the support they need to reach senior management, to give them a leg-up to the next level.
"I think a lot of it is about reaching out to the right people and a matter of making them aware of the opportunities so that the BBC more accurately reflects the diversity of the UK.
"We always need to re-examine how well publicised the opportunities are."
Reader views (11)
Affirmative action is not just about quota - the action is also about looking at why BME's aren't applying for the jobs and looking at those who do apply why aren't they shortlisted and perhaps giving feedback to said groups for why they didn't meet the standard this time. It is about asking those who are already in the system how 'at home' they feel this will give the BBC something to act on.
- Marcia, Virginia Beach, US, 21/01/2009 23:50
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This PC problem seems to be affecting all corners of the media not just the BBC. They all seem to have some sort of liberal middle class guilt about being white for some strange reason. It has got so ridiculous, I remember a couple of years ago that Adrian Chiles even went to the level of saying that his wedding photos were hideously white.
They should concentrate more on entertainment than worrying about quotas, some of the new programmes that I have seen this week have made me doubt if TV can survive another 10 years, and if it does it will not be for anyone over the age of 29. All the major channels seem to be making drama's that all have the same plots and stories, they all have the same cliched episodes. It is usually in episode 2 or 3 that they have someone decide that they are gay, normally a woman who was absolutely straight till she meets a lesbian character, having the token gay is another one of these middle class PC obsessions (if the BBC drama department is to be believed there are about 80x more gay people in the country than official figures show), the other plots include the daughter on any drama always having a big black boyfriend, if the police are called they are always a politically correct duo of a man and a woman, one of them preferably black. Oh I almost forgot the obligatory sex scene, not just seeing someone in bed, but trying to make it as realistic as possible, who wants to watch other people having sex. Pass the sick bag and get some new ideas.
- Steven Patrick M, London, UK, 11/01/2008 13:46
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Affirmative action has not worked in S Africa. All it meant was that the educated white workers moved abroad as they couldn't get jobs at home as they were being discriminated against by a politically correct Government. Even after a decade there is still so much poverty in that country.
- Dan, Manchester, 11/01/2008 13:23
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Why does it matter? It's about whether someone is capable for the job or not. If they're all white, so be it. If you get a good mix of ethnicity, so be it. There are far worse problems in the world than whether the BBC is being PC.
- Jc, London, Mayfair, 11/01/2008 13:20
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The BBC is a middle class club, where you get a top job by wearing the correct school tie. The Institution is long past it's sell by date. The licence fee should be abolished.
- Mick, London, England, 11/01/2008 11:58
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How about employing people based on their qualifications and experience pertaining to the job in question? It's all very well fast tracking candidates because of their ethnic or religious background but if they can't do the job then what's the point?
- Anon, London, 11/01/2008 10:52
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The BBC is financed by the people of the UK through an enforced tax. The BBC are supposed to reflect the make up of our society, a society in which 92% of the people are white. Yet because there are far too many lefty-liberals in positions of power, we have to succumb to a 'democratic' society in which the majority should take a back seat and be ruled by the minority.
This is a perverse PC society we live in. Watched a programme about Muslims and 'Honour Killings' on the Beeb last night. Great statement made by the community liaison officer, until people on both sides stop using excuses about cultural sensitivities things will not get better. Assimilation and integration; colour, race, etc. should never be an issue. That means all that 'Positive Discrimination' rubbish can go too.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 11/01/2008 09:30
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Some might say that it now more accurately reflects the make up of it's audience rather than pandering to political correctness.
- Rob, London, 11/01/2008 08:57
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I wonder how any self-respecting man or woman could be content to be thought of as a quota-enthic minority? If they are worth the position (and plenty are!) they should be able to stand up and say they got the job because they earned it, not simply to have made up the numbers!
- Rogan, Texas, USA, 11/01/2008 07:51
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It doesn't bother me. My great grandmother was black and she didn't work for the boring BBC either.
- Frederick, London, UK, 11/01/2008 07:22
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Says their hideous chairman.
- Will, London, 11/01/2008 04:41
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