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Daily Stormer
March 20, 2014
Britain’s least funny comedian has hit out at the lack of Black actors on television. Of course, he blames this on prejudice against Blacks, rather than lack of acting skills.
From The Daily Mail:
Comedian and actor Lenny Henry launched a scathing attack on British TV hits including Broadchurch, Miranda and Midsomer Murders last night for being too white.
Well considering those programmes are all about middle-class White people living in rural areas, you would not expect to see any Blacks in them. If there were any, they would be ridiculed for either ‘tokenism’ or ‘stereotyping’.
The 55-year-old criticised the shows for having fewer black actors than similar programmes in America, saying they were not representative of modern Britain.
Giving the annual Bafta Television Lecture, Henry said: ‘What is going on? This is 2014.
‘The evolution of black and ethnic minority involvement in British drama seems to lurch one step forward and two steps back, a bit like John Sergeant in Strictly Come Dancing. Except he had a job at the end.’
Mr Henry highlighted ITV crime drama Broadchurch, BBC sitcom Miranda and Northern Irish hit Mrs Brown’s Boys as examples of shows with majority white casts.
In an ironic aside, he said: ‘In Broadchurch, at least the boyfriend of the deceased is mixed race, so there’s someone in there.
‘Mrs Brown’s Boys. The Irish. An ethnic minority transvestite. I guess that counts.’
Notice nothing whatsoever is said about acting ability, all that matters to Lenny is that the actors should be Black.
Quoting from a letter written by a 19th century black actor describing the troubles of finding work, he added: ‘Imagine if he’d had to cope with whoever casts Midsomer Murders. He would have topped himself.’
Why on earth would he think he would find work as a Black actor in a country with no Blacks in it? Why would any playwright construct a play featuring savages? There were plenty of travelling exhibitions at that time showing them off to people.
Mr Henry also warned Britain’s top stars are leaving the UK for America, where he said hit shows such as Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire all employ more black actors.
He said: ‘Since 2008 I’ve noticed a worrying trend. Our most talented black and minority ethnic actors are increasingly frustrated and they have to go to America to succeed.
Unfortunately they seem to have a habit of coming back.
‘You know who I’m talking about, David Oyelowo in The Butler, Idris Elba in Long Walk to Freedom, Prometheus and The Wire, Thandie Newton in Crash and Mission Impossible, Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave, David Harewood in Homeland.’
The comedian, who has recently embarked on a career as a stage actor and director after a career in stand up, called for the BBC to create ring fenced budgets for black dramas.
After failing to get his comedy programme recomissioned as it was so unfunny, he tried stand-up and failed at that too and has now failed as a director. He now predictably falls back on the most bankable thing that he has, his privileged status as a Black man and demands ring fenced budgets for Blacks.
It could only be spent on productions where two out of three criteria are met: that at least half of the production staff or half of the on-screen talent are black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background, or where black people control at least 30 per cent of the production company.
He said imposing a more draconian quota system that would oblige the BBC to cast more black actors would ‘leave us open to possible legal challenges’.
It is not the first time Mr Henry has spoken out on the issue of under-representation of ethnic minority talent.
Last year he said it was a ‘disgrace’ there were not more black actors up for gongs at the annual Bafta TV awards.
Here’s an idea Lenny, how about you and your kind actually work a bit harder at your craft and then win an award honestly, or better yet, go back to Africa and see whether they will give you an award for your playacting.
