‘I’ve lost roles because of my skin colour’
RACISM STILL RIFE IN TV INDUSTRY SAYS ANGELA
ACTRESS Angela Griffin warns there is still racism in British TV.
She blamed bigoted casting directors for side-lining black actors.
And she is convinced the colour of her skin has lost her roles.
Angela said: “I think people have something in their mind of what they want their lead character to be.
“There have been times when someone has said ‘We don’t see it in that way’. And you just say ‘Why don’t you let me audition first and see if I can do the acting?’.”
Angela, 40, added: “Diversity on TV isn’t where it should be. We have miles to go. You’d think drama would be showing reality. But most of the time it doesn’t. TV as a whole isn’t fantastic.
“With soaps they say, ‘We’ve got an Asian family and we’ve got an Indian family and we’ve got three disabled people’. But soaps aren’t everything. On TV there is comedy and there is drama and there are kids’ shows, factual, entertainment...I’m talking about the whole of TV.
“There is a massive way to go. Even behind the scenes there is a lot of work to do.”
Angela found fame in 1993 as Fiona Middleton on Corrie. She has gone on TV Editor to become a firm favourite, starring in a string of BBC shows including Cutting It, Holby City and Waterloo Road.
She added: “In Cutting It I was a mixed raced sister, which was interesting. That was actually part of the storyline. It’s rare that I’ve ever been in a show with someone else who is black that’s aired on BBC One. They had Babyfather but that was on BBC Two.
“I’d love a role in Line of Duty but they’ve already cast Thandie Newton for the next series, so the chance of me being cast as another officer who is mixed race is probably very slim.”
Her latest role is as office boss Jenna in the new series of Ordinary Lies, which kicked off last week.
She said: “I think this show is phenomenal in its diversity in terms of gender and ethnic diversity. It’s done brilliantly. It’s not one token person either.
“Out of the cast of 10 main characters there are four of us who are ethnically diverse. There’s also a range of class. This is the most diverse show I’ve worked on that isn’t a serial drama.”
Ordinary Lies continues on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One.