Main content

GCHQ: Minority Report

Documentary. DJ Nihal Arthanayake explores what is stopping members of the ethnic minorities from playing a key part in Britain's intelligence services.

The domestic challenge facing Britain's biggest secret intelligence service. What's stopping members of the ethnic minorities from playing a key part in Britain's spy network: discrimination, loyalty or simple old-fashioned prejudice? DJ Nihal Arthanayake, Five Live and Asian Network presenter, gets rare access to GCHQ, the government's secret communication headquarters in Cheltenham Spa. He talks to staff from the black, Asian and ethnic minorities and hears from members of those communities outside about their attitude to the intelligence-gathering organisation. A report leaked to the Sunday Times six years ago suggested that black and Asian intelligence officers were concerned about there being a racist culture. If GCHQ's workforce was truly representative of Britain's ethnic makeup, then 12 per cent would be black, Asian or from other ethnic minorities, but it's not even a quarter of that. Can the organisation change?
Produced by Mark Savage.

Available now

38 minutes

Last on

Sun 27 Nov 2016 17:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 22 Nov 2016 20:00
  • Sun 27 Nov 2016 17:00

Fancy yourself as a code-breaker?

Pit yourself against the GCHQ Puzzle Master, with our code-breaking challenge.

Did you crack the code?

Find the solution to the GCHQ Code-breaking Challenge.

Seriously...

Seriously...

Discover more seriously interesting radio documentaries.