大象传媒

WARNING: Some scenes in this video may be upsetting. They reflect the time when made.

鈥淏roadcasting may help to show that mankind is a unity,鈥� wrote John Reith, the 大象传媒鈥檚 first Managing Director (later Director-General) in 1924, only two years after the 大象传媒 began. He quickly grasped that broadcasting would be life-changing, that it could bring people together in utterly new ways. But it did reflect a British perspective of its time that is essentially white and hierarchical.

Popular entertainers

There were non-white voices on the 大象传媒鈥檚 first airwaves. As early as 1933, Britain鈥檚 first black star Elisabeth Welch sang her trademark song Stormy Weather on 大象传媒 radio and was a regular fixture there. The likes of Ken 鈥楽nakehips鈥� Johnson was also a huge hit for popular music fans of the day, before his untimely death at the Caf茅 de Paris in the 1941 Blitz.  大象传媒 Television鈥檚 opening night in 1936 would also feature the popular Buck and Bubbles, an African-American duo of dancer-singers.

This tradition of the black entertainer would continue throughout the decades. It culminated in The Black and White Minstrels, arguably the 大象传媒鈥檚 most glaring failure to understand the toxicity of stereotyping. The programme, which started in 1958, continued to command huge audiences of around 16 million before it was removed from the TV schedule in 1978.

Unique internationalism

In parallel, the 大象传媒 World Service was creating an international community of non-British voices at the Corporation. During WWII, it would expand from eight to 48 languages, instigating a rare cross-fertilisation of cultures.

Una Marson, the 大象传媒鈥檚 first black female producer, was part of this, giving a platform to hitherto unheard Caribbean voices right at the start of the 1940s. But what would change everything would be the end of colonial rule 鈥� when new ethnic communities would make their way to Britain, transforming its social makeup. How would broadcasting react?

Pioneers

There were some pioneering moments. Drama, for example, showcased the tensions and inequalities that surfaced. A Man from the Sun (1956) told the story of West Indians in London: their struggle in the face of white prejudice and their own growing disillusionment. While Fable (1961) dramatically reversed African apartheid, putting black people in power and relegating white to the role of the subservient. Documentaries too challenged the status quo, asking the provocative question Has Britain a Colour Bar? in 1955.

The 大象传媒 would also create broadcast services catering specially for these new audiences. It may be easy now to mock In Logon Se Miliye then Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye, roughly translated as Make Yourself at Home (1965), with its tips on how to use a light switch and how to cook a British Sunday roast. However, its intention was to provide a much-needed platform for the new communities of British Asians, and its aim was firmly "to help in integration, not assimilation".

But the debate over integration or separation would continue. For example, when the 大象传媒 announced its decision to remove the Asian Network in 2010, it was obliged to reverse that decision because of the strength of reaction from Asian listeners who wanted a dedicated service.

Towards the mainstream

In the sixties, the 大象传媒 did remain predominantly white but times were changing. 大象传媒 Children鈥檚 first black presenter Paul Danqua (1964) would be followed by the likes of Derek Griffiths and Floella Benjamin. The latter went on to have a long career in advocacy and campaigning for racial equality, ending up with a seat in the House of Lords.

Trevor MacDonald began his career at the 大象传媒 and Moira Stuart became the first black woman to read the news in 1981. Alex Pascall fronted Black Londoners on 大象传媒 Radio London in 1974, later to become the first black daily radio show in mainstream British broadcasting. He would also go on to co-found The Voice, Britain鈥檚 first black newspaper. People from different ethnic backgrounds were now informing and educating, as well as entertaining.

From the nineties onwards, there was a shift in 大象传媒 mainstream programming, which featured more black, Asian and ethnic minorities across its schedule - from Goodness Gracious Me and Citizen Khan to Doctor Who and the Today Programme.

However, behind the camera or microphone was a different matter. In 2001 Director-General Greg Dyke made his famous statement that 大象传媒 management was 鈥榟ideously white鈥�, and not till that changed could the 大象传媒 properly reflect the increasing diversity of the UK. The last two decades have seen a shift towards improving that, as well as increasing overall diversity across the whole 大象传媒 workforce, but the challenge is ongoing.

At the start of a new decade the 大象传媒 opens a new chapter with Creative Diversity 鈥� yet again shifting the paradigm to refocus the 大象传媒鈥檚 DNA so it is more representative of the whole UK and of the wider world.