At a MIPTV conference on Monday, a BBC diversity official said that Idris Elba‘s character in Luther isn’t “authentic” due to not having Black friends in the series.
As diversity initiatives continue to shape Hollywood, many conversations have begun surrounding Black representation and what that means for the entertainment industry. While there has been a significant increase in representation, there is always more work to be done, but the question of what makes “good” representation is now taking center stage.
Miranda Wayland, BBC’s diversity manager, spoke about diversity in television on Monday, specifically using the hit show, Luther, as an example.
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Per The Hollywood Reporter, Wayland shared in her statement, “When it first came out everybody loved the fact that Idris Elba was in there — a really strong, Black character lead. 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.”
Wayland also reportedly concluded that the big heads in television must, “ensure that Black characters are supported by an environment and culture that is ‘absolutely reflective’ of their background.”
The comments immediately went viral on Twitter, with many fans agreeing with Wayland’s sentiments but questioning the word usage in her comments.
One user tweeted, “‘Luther isn’t black enough to be real because he doesn’t have any black friends and doesn’t eat any Caribbean food’ When you see groups through the prism of stereotypes this is the insulting outcome. Would she prefer to see Luther dunk basketball hoops at the end of every scene?”
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Another user tweeted, “The police turn on Luther every chance they get. How is that NOT an authentic black character?”
Another Twitter user called out the hypocrisy in the comments from Wayland, writing, “I just read the BBC’s head of diversity Miranda Wayland says Idris Elba’s TV character Luther isn’t black enough to be real because he doesn’t have black friends or eat Caribbean food. Just because Luther likes pie ‘n’ mash instead of jerk chicken doesn’t make him any less black!”
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