BBC1 too focused on white suburbia, say governors

Tara Conlan and Stephen Brook

Tuesday July 12, 2005

BBC chairman Michael Grade today reignited the debate over the corporation and the "white middle classes".

Speaking today at the presentation of the BBC's annual report, Mr Grade said: "There wouldn't be sitcoms without middle class suburbia. It's inevitably part of what writers want to write about.

"The question is there's a sense in which if you go on presenting safe white middle class suburbia in sitcoms, are you missing out on other areas?" he said.

Comments