Diversity campaigner Marcus Ryder is returning to the UK to take on a full-time role at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity.
Ryder helped the comedian and actor to set up the centre at Birmingham City University in 2020 is taking up a head of external consultancies position, working initially remotely from China and then from the UK later this year.
The former BBC current affairs executive and ex-RTS diversity chair currently works for Chinese media company Caixin Global.
Ryder will champion representation across all sectors of the media, working with academics and industry leaders, building on the book he has co-written with Henry, Access All Areas.
In a speech to NFTS first-year students earlier this year, Ryder commended broadcasters on improvements in their on-screen positive portrayals of industries from a diverse range of backgrounds. However, he argued that they often fall down on representing the communities in which these individuals live.
BBC Luther row
Referencing dramas such as BBC1’s Luther, BBC America’s Killing Eve and Netflix crime drama Lupin, Ryder declared: “Community is the new frontier when it comes to diversity.”
His comments were echoed this week by BBC diversity head Miranda Wayland, who told a MIPTV Panel that the lack of a community or family around Idris Elba’s Luther raised questions about the authenticity of the character and the show
“When it first came out everybody loved the fact that Idris Elba was in there — a really strong, Black character lead,” she said.
“We all fell in love with him. Who didn’t, right? But after you got into about the second series, you got kind of like, OK, he doesn’t have any Black friends, he doesn’t eat any Caribbean food, this doesn’t feel authentic.”
The comments have sparked huge media debate, forcing the BBC to state that while Wayland was having an open discussion about the show, this was not a “statement of policy”.
Elba himself posted on Instagram: “We must not pull ourselves backwards, only push ourselves forwards.”
C4 board diversity
Meanwhile, the government has also raised eyebrows in not renewing Channel 4 board members Uzma Hasan and Fru Hazlitt for their expected second term. According to the Guardian, the decision went against the advice of both the C4 board and Ofcom.
Of the remaining 11 members of the board, only two are women, and only one person – Althea Efunshile – is non-white.