Britain's most popular TV shows branded 'too white' by black and Asian viewers

A new report, led by race equalities chief Trevor Phillips, reveals many ethnic minority viewers feel they are victims of 'tokenism' and 'stereotyping' on British TV.

As a result, Mr Phillips said the major broadcasters often remain 'hideously white' in their choice of programming.

Viewers singled out a series of shows which either fail to reflect diversity in Britain or are guilty of  'exaggerated and extreme' portrayals of their communities.

Popular British TV shows such as the Vicar of Dibley have been criticised for being 'two white'

At the heart of the concerns by black and Asian viewers is the fear that incorrect representations of their culture could give white people the 'wrong impression'.

British TV was also criticised for being too 'parochial' and called for more programmes with an international outlook.

The research was commissioned by Channel 4 to feed into a new report by Trevor Phillips about diversity in TV, which he has written for the broadcaster.

It was ordered after the catastrophic fall-out of the channel's handling of the Celebrity Big Brother race row last year which sparked 55,000 complaints.

The report attacks TV's two big soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders were attacked for botching their attempts to reflect black and Asian culture.

Respondents pointed to the stereotypical portrayal of 'Dev' as a corner shop owner in Coronation Street and the BBC's portrayal of the Indian Ferreira family in EastEnders.

In addition, some EastEnders viewers were unhappy with the character of 'Denise', a black single mother with two children by two different fathers.

Channel 4's Hollyoaks, ITV's Emmerdale and Australian soaps Neighbours and Home Away were also taken to task for having virtually no ethnic characters.

Quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? came under fire for being very 'UK-centric' in its questions making it difficult for people from other cultures to get through.

Dawn French's Vicar of Dibley, set in an English village, was also criticised for being 'all white', while US show Friends was described as 'very white'.

Channel 4's Big Brother was accepted to feature contestants from all races but those questioned did worry that the 'extreme personalities' chosen for it would create perceptions they are 'typical' of their community.

EastEnders has also come under fire for its portrayal of black single mother Denise Wicks, right

One respondent said: 'We would like to see a more realistic view of Asians. A lot of Asians are professionals and educated and we don't just work in corner shops.'

Mr Phillips yesterday claimed even many white viewers felt ethnic minority representations on TV did not ring true.  

In his report he claimed the evidence showed that British TV was still 'hideously white' where it matters, a reference to those running TV. 

This was the phrase Greg Dyke famously used to describe the workforce at the BBC when he was director general.

Phillips, who is the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights commission, previously came under fire for being paid to do the work in a private capacity. 

He was paid for the report through the Equate Organisation, which he co-founded and owns 70 per cent of.

In the report, the shows branded as positive examples of diverse UK programming included Panorama, Dispatches, X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.

Also praised for their coverage were The Apprentice, Who Do You Think You Are? as well as Casualty and Holby City.

U.S. imports like Lost , Heroes and ER were also held up as good examples as they had minority characters in lead roles.

The black viewers questionted said they wanted more programmes with an all black cast like comedies Desmonds and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Eastern Europeans, meanwhile, were said to have no expectations of being represented on TV.

The report admits that white British people found it hardest to articulate their identity and worried that the terminology they used would be deemed racist.

The Indian community said it felt 'integrated, respected and accepted' into the mainstream, pointing out that its culture had become 'cool and trendy'.

They pointed to the success of shows like Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars in helping this process.

In the survey, Channel 4 bosses were criticised as being too slow to act over the Celebrity Big Brother row over the treatment of Shilpa Shetty.

The research comes after a senior Asian figure at the BBC claimed there are too many ethnic minority faces on TV.

Dr Samir Shah, a non-executive director, accused the corporation and others of rampant tokenism in their programming.

He claimed a 'tick-box approach' to showing non-whites had left minority viewers feeling embarrassed and irritated.