Sir Lenny Henry has called on the government to implement laws on diversity in media, insisting this is the only way to make sure everyone is represented fairly.
The British comedian spoke at the House Of Lords on Tuesday, highlighting many issues within the UK media, including the fact he felt there weren’t enough safe spaces for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people to voice their concerns without “fearing the noose”.
Likening the media’s current approach to diversity to “putting lipstick on a pig”, he elaborated: “The feeling was that there was not safe space to say stuff that we were unhappy with, without getting oppressed or fired.
“There needs to be safe spaces for people to vent their feelings without fearing the noose.”
He continued to tell the Communications Committee: “It’s a powerful thing to have a diverse group of people at the table.
“You can literally move worlds if the right people are there. When everybody is involved in the storytelling process, the stakes are raised.”
On how these issues could be fixed, Sir Lenny suggested: “We could ring-fence funding. We could create a contestable fund. We can use tax breaks to encourage people to invest in diverse productions.”
After delivering his speech, he went on to tell Press Association: “This is an infrastructural change that is needed. Until they are actually brave enough to make a law and mandate something, nothing is going to change.
“Everyone wants to be groovy and lead from the middle, but sometimes, somebody has to lead.
“Everybody is trying to get their game face on, where they can go forward into the 21st century. But they are hampered by the past. [The Me Too movement], gender pay gap, ethnic pay gap – there’s a lot to shake off before we can move forward.”