BBC exec says Idris Elba's 'Luther' isn't Black enough to be real

[cinematicdiversions]

The BBC’s diversity chief Miranda Wayland says “Luther” — the broadcaster’s hit crime series starring Idris Elba — isn’t “authentic” when it comes to storytelling surrounding its Black lead.

Elba’s DCI John Luther “doesn’t have any Black friends, he doesn’t eat any Caribbean food, this doesn’t feel authentic,” she says.

https://etcanada.com/news/768680/idris-elbas-luther-isnt-authentic-enough-according-to-bbcs-diversity-chief-he-doesnt-have-any-black-friends/

I am glad to see we are finally calling out people who claim to be black like Idris Elba (Who's parents aren't even from America) taking roles that clearly don't show a proper black experience. I hope the BBC diversity director works with screenwriters to interject proper black behaviors in the characters moving forward and maybe replace Mr. Elba who was born in tony London and whose parents are from Sierra Leone and Ghana with an actor with a proper black background.

(Do need a sarcasm Tag for that last bit?)

[SheilaAnn]

1. Dear Gawd, Black people cannot win. Either they're too black, too light, not authentic enough.

Enough already!

[CatWoman]

28. ....

[Haggard Celine]

2. You almost do need a sarcasm tag,

although I dislike using those. It ruins the whole thing, IMO. But I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if this had been real. So many people these days want to tell others how to be authentic and true to their roots.

[cinematicdiversions]

3. No no the article is real. They are calling his character out for not being "black" enough.

The tag was for my silly paragraph agreeing with their decision because his parents are not even descended from slaves.

[Haggard Celine]

6. Oh, I see....I think.

Are you saying that Elba shouldn't have been cast because of his lack of slave ancestry? Or is Luther a bad character because he doesn't have slave ancestry? This is pretty damned confusing!

[cinematicdiversions]

7. No I think Elba and the character is are both fine.

I think that the diversity director for the BBC is off her rocker however.

[Haggard Celine]

13. Yes, most certainly.

[Vinca]

4. All I can say is Idris Elba is perfectly fine by me whether he's playing Luther or freaking

Rumplestiltskin. Great actor and can do "more black," "less black" or "just right black" on cue. BBC's diversity chief needs to give it a rest.

[Dr. Strange]

5. Good Lord.

This below is supposed to be a comedy sketch, but nowadays, who knows?

[greenjar_01]

9. You covered my response

Ooof.

[Carlitos Brigante]

24. "... generally Pakistani..."

[lindysalsagal]

8. Call him a turnip for all I care.

Just write an episode where he takes his shirt off......

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

10. DA FUQ??

[Sympthsical]

11. You actually do need the sarcasm tag

Because I've seen that sort of thing said in all earnest seriousness.

Parts of Britain get real dumb on diversity issues. I'm not surprised someone from the BBC said this. There was this thing not too long ago, with a South Asian presenter. She was being called a coconut (brown outside, white inside). I mean, she was British. Born and grew up there. But she wasn't "South Asian enough" to count as diversity.

So pointless.

[BannonsLiver]

12. This person has advanced themselves in the entertainment industry

And has forgotten the most basic of rules. Idris Elba is a very talented actor who fans like in the role he’s playing. The end. No need to overthink it, Miranda.

[Midnight Writer]

14. Next she can go after women on TV who wear slacks and work outside the home.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. For background: the character was not written as Black

They just cast Idris Elba because he was the best actor for it. From 2012:

Speaking to Radio 4 earlier today in London, creator/writer of the series, Neil Cross, said that this upcoming 3rd season would be the series' last; so no more Luther after season 3.
...
Cross also talked about how he created the character - specifically, whether he always intended for Luther to be a black man:

“It was cast as a character, purely and simply, which is one of the aspects that attracted Idris to the role. I have no knowledge or expertise or right to try to tackle in some way the experience of being a black man in modern Britain. It would have been an act of tremendous arrogance for me to try to write – and you have to try to imagine the quote marks around the words – a black character because I don’t know what a black character is and we would have ended up with a slightly embarrassed, ignorant, middle-class, white writer’s idea of a black character, which would have been an embarrassment for everybody concerned. I suspect that there’s a dearth of decent roles for black actors because most writers are white and they try to write their idea of black and it’s an embarrassment.”

Hah! Neil Cross knows what's up

https://shadowandact.com/amp/luther-creator-says-season-3-will-be-the-last-before-big-screen-leap-if-luther-was-written-as-a-black-man

So she may have a point, as far as the "authenticity" of the ethnicity of the character goes; she is, note, Black, though not a man or a police officer. This doesn't stop it being a good role, well acted, and I can't see that she said that. Original reporting on what she said around the quoted remarks that doesn't ultimately come from the Daily Mail (who have commercial reasons to attack the BBC and its employees at every opportunity, as well as their dubious politics) would help clarify things. For instance, if someone had been saying "Luther had a Black lead - we've ticked that box", this would be a relevant reply.

[GoneOffShore]

21. Jonathan Pie had a take on this as regards straight actors doing gay roles.

[sarcasmo]

16. I really liked the Luther series. Laughed at first thinking this was an Onion article.

[LAS14]

17. This is such a good example of what minorities face in just wanting to get jobs...

... like majority people get jobs. On their talent and skills. Period.

[Yavin4]

18. Hey BBC. How about a series about how Caribbean migrants helped to rebuild the UK after WWII

https://www.bl.uk/windrush/articles/how-caribbean-migrants-rebuilt-britain#

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Drama or documentary?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_%28TV_series%29

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Island_%27TV_series%29

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9854292/

[irisblue]

26. and how some in BoJos gov't have been trying to push them out now

source--https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-deport-caribbean-flight-windrush-scandal-immigration-a9319336.html


title-Boris Johnson insists first deportation of Caribbean nationals since Windrush scandal must go ahead
Commons hears evidence that Home Office claim all those to be sent to Jamaica are ‘serious criminals’ is untrue

Rob Merrick
Deputy Political Editor
@Rob_Merrick
Wednesday 05 February 2020 14:33


more at source

[Brother Buzz]

19. If Idris Elba isn't black enough maybe he can be the next James Bond

[cinematicdiversions]

20. This Red Nose Day bit is a lot funnier today.

[Carlitos Brigante]

27. That is 100% exactly to how I figured his family would be. :-P

[Iggo]

29. LOL. What did I just watch?

[oasis]

22. "You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother (shut your mouth)

I'm talking about Shaft (then we can dig it)"

Is that the image you want, Miranda?

[Hekate]

25. Yes you need the Sarcasm thingy on your comment. As for the article: say what?!

[ananda]

30. White people can be so stupid when it comes to race.

I should know. I'm one of them.

I've done and said and thought some really stupid things,
but I have tried to learn from them.

Sheesh

[cinematicdiversions]

31. This is a story about two black people. I am not sure what your response means. NT