At last, the BBC has been forced to admit what even the dogs on the street know to be true: that the corporation is guilty of ‘shoehorning’ diversity into its television drama output, in series such as Shetland and This Town, and making them feel ‘preachy’ and ‘inauthentic’ as a consequence.

Productions which distort history deliberately and cynically are even more exasperating

A large swathe of the viewing public believe that the BBC tries too hard to represent diverse groups in its drama, according to a report commissioned by executives, involving a survey of 4,500 adults. Irritation is most pronounced in the area of historical dramas, with feedback indicating the biggest offenders to be a 2023 Agatha Christie mystery starring a black actor and laden with ‘anti-colonial struggles’, a production of Great Expectations starring a mixed-race actress as Estella, and an episode of Doctor Who in which Sir Isaac Newton was also depicted as mixed race. As the report concludes: ‘What needs to be avoided is ethnic diversity which looks forced and tick box, and we found our interviewees of colour as emphatic on this point as those who were white.’

Some will protest that this is a fuss over nothing. Dramas aren’t real life or purport to be........

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