Race & Who again; the British Actor's POV
Jul. 17th, 2007 04:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
neadodsWith a few notable exceptions, the discussion about race and Doctor Who has been just that - a mature discussion with a lot of issues being brought up from several different perspectives. Fascinating and educational, and I'm so proud of the fandom as a whole for leaving the wank for the canonicity of Lungbarrow and treating this with gravity.
But a few have knee-jerk dismissed it. Not just said "I don't see it, what are you seeing?" (that makes sense to me; it's subtle and I honestly think subconscious on RTD's part) but refused to consider the concept. One of the methods of dismissing the point is to insist "That's American oversensitivity; such things do not exist in Britain."
And for that, I point out this article from the Telegraph.
Its mix of wholesome entertainment, homely features and television listings has brought Radio Times millions of loyal readers.
So they are likely to be surprised to find its editor at the centre of a racism row.
Gill Hudson has admitted that black and Asian people seldom feature on the magazine's front cover but insists her hands are tied by commercial considerations.
Miss Hudson, who has edited the BBC-produced magazine for five years, told The Sunday Telegraph: "I do notice when we put an Asian or black figure on the copy and I think, 'Yippee', but it's not often you can do it. We have to sell almost a million copies a week and we have to go for the biggest programmes possible. I can't choose the cover by quota. It's about getting the right programme, not the right ethnic mix."
Miss Hudson's comments came after Noel Clarke, one of Britain's brightest young black actors, whose credits include appearances in Doctor Who and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, accused listings magazines, including Radio Times, the biggest seller, of discriminating against ethnic minority stars.
But a few have knee-jerk dismissed it. Not just said "I don't see it, what are you seeing?" (that makes sense to me; it's subtle and I honestly think subconscious on RTD's part) but refused to consider the concept. One of the methods of dismissing the point is to insist "That's American oversensitivity; such things do not exist in Britain."
And for that, I point out this article from the Telegraph.
Its mix of wholesome entertainment, homely features and television listings has brought Radio Times millions of loyal readers.
So they are likely to be surprised to find its editor at the centre of a racism row.
Gill Hudson has admitted that black and Asian people seldom feature on the magazine's front cover but insists her hands are tied by commercial considerations.
Miss Hudson, who has edited the BBC-produced magazine for five years, told The Sunday Telegraph: "I do notice when we put an Asian or black figure on the copy and I think, 'Yippee', but it's not often you can do it. We have to sell almost a million copies a week and we have to go for the biggest programmes possible. I can't choose the cover by quota. It's about getting the right programme, not the right ethnic mix."
Miss Hudson's comments came after Noel Clarke, one of Britain's brightest young black actors, whose credits include appearances in Doctor Who and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, accused listings magazines, including Radio Times, the biggest seller, of discriminating against ethnic minority stars.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-17 11:06 pm (UTC)"That's American oversensitivity; such things do not exist in Britain."
I've definitely heard comments almost exactly like this from British friends, and I've definitely heard racism too (not from my friends). I don't know if it's just not as visible in mainstream Britain as it is in the US, but racism is still around.
did you see this yet?
Date: 2007-07-17 11:25 pm (UTC)Caught on CCTV: the police sergeant who said Somalian needed 'a good beating' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/race/story/0,,2120836,00.html)