McGovern: BBC is 'racist'

The writer of Cracker and The Street has hit out at the BBC in a radio interview, calling it "one of the most racist institutions in England."

The writer was being interviewed on BBC Five Live by Simon Mayo about his stage play King Cotton, his first since the late 1980s.

When Mayo asked whether the country was less racist than it once was, McGovern said: "I have got to say this, you will not like this. But I've worked a lot in the BBC, you know."

"I love the BBC as an institution and as an organisation and you do see lots of black faces in the BBC. But you see them in the canteen. You do not see them in positions of power. It would appear to me that one of the most racist institutions in England is in fact the BBC," he added.

Mayo said McGovern's allegations were "very serious", and later read out a statement from the corporation, which has been reported on the BBC website.

It said: "We're actively seeking and nurturing ethnic talents both on and off the air," and added it hoped to "reflect the ethnic and social mix of people around the country." It pointed to presenters and reporters in peak-time programmes such as Freema Agyeman in Doctor Who, the forthcoming Omid Djalili show, Dance X, and drama Waterloo Road, but said it was a situation it was "looking to improve on."