BBC – All white at the top

Amongst the  25 of the BBC’s top paid presenters/actors, there isn’t a Black and minority ethnic - BME - face in sight. You have scroll down to number 26 to find the veteran newscaster, George Alagiah.

There are other BME presenters further down the BBC food chain, including radio presenters Trevor Nelson, and Mishal Hussain, but it would seem the bulk of BME Presenters are in the very lowest of the highest pay bracket, including actor Hugh Quarshie, and presenters Moira Stuart, Kamal Ahmed and John Pienar.

What this clearly demonstrates is both how BME presenters/actors are viewed by the 'beeb', clearly not with the elite, and how they are paid - their  pay gap is startling.

Veteran presenters such as Eddie Nestor and Doton Adebayo from must truly think, 'what must we  do to be recognised by the BBC we’ve served so well for many years?'

When the BBC Director General, Tony Hall came on the airwaves this morning he sounded contrite about the lack of women at the top, and also their pay gap too, but he felt no such compulsion to even mention the race disparity. I wonder whether he feels that BME presenters and staff in general should be grateful for having a job at all.

That at least would sound familiar with a lot of BME individuals' experiences.

Simon Woolley