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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards have come under fire by a number of Black TV presenters. Most prominently, Lenny Henry & Reggie Yates have recently seen fit to be most vocal, seemingly inspired by the lack of awardees of the darker hue among recipients at this years ceremony.
After condemning the lorded award show as a “disgrace” Lenworth George Henry had this to say:
“‘There weren’t any black people at the BAFTA’s; there was no black talent… What’s the matter with those people? What were the judges doing? There’s just not enough programmes with black people in them.”
For many, Lenny Henry is an unlikely source for such commentary. Black Britain has a long established history of Black comic talent and Brother Lenny hasn’t always felt quite like our own. In all fairness, this is probably due the context in which he came up.
Born to Jamaican parents in Dudley (an area not known for a strong Black presence), Lenny Henry came to prominence in the 1970’s, an era in which Black faces on TV were extremely rare. His first stage gigs included the “The Black & White Mintsrel Show”, which he became involved in at the behest of his manager (and the shows producer), Robert Luff, at the young age of 17 years old. Such a proofing ground would have done much to alienate him from an increasingly vocal Black community, who had previously petitioned against the TV version of the show, for its racist content. Though no one could deny the talent of the young comedian, finding dignified work in era filled with overt racial bias could not have been easy. Henry however, did grow to regret his “Minstrel Show” involvement in later years.
In 1975 he hit the TV screen, winning the Talent Show “New Faces” before going on to feature in Britain’s first all Black TV Comedy – “The Fosters”. With such famed talent such as Norman Beaton (Desmond’s) the show only ran for just over a year, but broke significant ground for the likes of “No Problem” and “The Lenny Henry Show” and later “The Real McCoy”.
While Henry very much seemed to remain in the mainstream, mastering material tailored to white audiences, an underground was developing full of Black comedic genius that tapped directly to the sensibilities of a Black community. Much like Andy Peters, Henry was among the symbols of Black TV success that simply lacked “street cred”…
That said however, Henry’s entertainment journey does provide him with a valuable primary asset – experience! In many ways he would know better than most the hurdles that Black entertainers had to overcome, as he was among the first to overcome them. 40 years on from his television debut the lack of Black presenters seems to fly in the face of his sacrifices.
This fact is backed by today’s young Black TV presenters of note, who have chosen to lend voice in support of their predecessors scathing critique. Reggie Yates, currently presenting hit BBC TV show “The Voice”is apparently not satisfied being the only Black guy at the party, as he told The Sun newspaper; ‘There should be more on prime-time telly because it’s a scary number, one”. Clearly, Yates does not see his success as a sign that Black entertainers have arrived. His sentiment shared by Andy Akinwolere, first Black male presenter of Blue Peter fame who states: “So far as I can see, there are currently no black male or female prime-time presenters and this strikes me as wrong,”
“Misteeq” star turned “Strictly Come Dancing Presenter”, Alesha Dixon, has also spoken out. In an interview with the independent she revealed:
“There still aren’t many black women on prime-time TV. Times are changing, but it’s interesting we’re in 2013 and still experiencing firsts… I did an interview with a magazine once and the journalist quite openly said they wouldn’t put a black person on the front cover because the magazine wouldn’t sell”.
Racism in entertainment and sports is obviously a hot topic among the people of Afrikan heritage who operate in these fields. While some may argue that the success of the aforementioned contradicts the arguments put forth; the issue appears to be the wide disparities that exists, when compared to the available talent. Noted comedian Curtis Walkerdedicated a substantial amount of his set at the recent “Spoken Word meets Comedy” showcase to a critique of the success of White comedians in comparison to their Black counter parts.
Concern does exist among the Black community upon noticing a shift in the Black Comedy circuit, where Black comics either travel to
America, or tailor their material to suit the “Mock The Week”and “Have I Got News For You” market. Considering Reggie Yates is attributing American success partly to the strength of its Black audience, it would seem that Blacks in Britain have a way to go in this regard.
All of the above does prompt the question: How much have Black people really progressed in Britain, since the early days of Henry? It would seem that Black actors are still subject to stereotypical or degrading role play. Black faces on the screen are not reflected behind the camera in direction, writing and production. While there may be more acting roles, jobs that rely on the self made personality of the artist are largely out of bounds. Discrimination still appears to be the order of the day, yet society at large constantly reinforces how much of multi-cultural melting pot the UK has become.
The illusion of progress has left a next generation dealing with the problems they had been lead to believe their parents and grand-parents supposedly solved. The apparent lack of blatant and overt racism lessens the sting, but also means that such issues are overlooked until one or two brave voices decide to speak up. Though, the recent outbursts of dissent may well be a sign of a strong and consistent voice developing among Black entertainers in the mainstream.
Thankfully however, as well as the necessary critique of the environment, some Black entertainers are determined to do something about it. Comedian on the rise, Eddie Kadi has been vocal in imploring Black comedians to by pass BBC endorsement and “Do it yourself”. For his trouble, he put on an independently produced sell out show at the O2 Indigo in 2011, proving that it can be done.
Following his critique of the BAFTAs Henry in has stated:
“I’m working on things and trying to bring about change, but I can’t do it all on my own. We need to invest in these programmes, in rainbow casting, in all of the great black writers, producers and directors who make these programmes.”
Also Aml Ameen of “The Bill” fame, began “Ameen Dream Entertainment” a television and film production company.
Self reliance is definitely on the agenda. While the BAFTAs may not see fit to reward such Black talent, lessons can be learned from entrepreneur Pauline Long has initiated the “Black Entertainment Film Fashion & Arts” (BEFFTA) awards as “distinctly special awards ceremony honouring the best showbiz and entertainment personalities in the black and ethnic communities in the UK, USA, Africa, Caribbean, Canada and globally.”
And last but my no means least, we have Akua Gyamfi, noted Journalist now founder of The British Blacklist, “the UK’s definitive database of Black British professionals in the arts & entertainment”– which you have the pleasure of interacting with at this very moment.
Many will say we have come a long way. Many will say we still have a long way to go. Some, are taking the reigns and ensuring that whatever work needs to be done, gets done. What is for sure is that whatever is going to be, it is they who will make it so.