There's two things to say about this... https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2020/research-reveals-profound-lack-of-diversity-in-primetime-tv-with-92-of-lead-roles-played-by-white-actors/

1) The BBC's response to this - “The findings from this report are based on data from 2018, whereas the latest data shows that we have met our 2020 on-screen targets for BAME representation at 23%" - prove what myself and @EquityREC were saying for years...

...that Project Diamond's hopelessly generalised and lazy monitoring project would only ever serve as a fop for defensive broadcasters and a blunt weapon for the Right Wing press. People often misconstrue the value of programme-specific data...

...It's not just to hold people to account, it's also so we can see where individual productions HAVE done a good job and can be commended. They then help to set an example for everyone else...

...You can't do that by asking people to fill out forms they're not compelled to fill out and then crudely lumping the numbers together. That is simply ridiculous...

2) There is no mention of the Equity Race Equalities Committee in that article. The quote is from an Equity staff member. It's as if, since our resignation, the Equity REC has simply ceased to exist. This is galling on so many levels...

The monitoring was my idea. I applied to Unknown Funds for the money to implement it and I engaged the researcher, Dr. Jami Rogers. This was my work and the committee's work...

My last conversation with @EquityUK Equity's equalities officers were when they said they'd like to continue working with me on projects I'd started and I agreed. Yet it seems that because we resigned on a point of principle we are simply erased...

Equity is talking about seriously investigating where they have gone wrong on issues of race and discrimination. They are very aware they don't have many members of colour...

But what kind of value does Equity place on individual members of colour if those members are airbrushed for the simple crime of refusing to collude with appeasement of racist misogynist bullying? Equity's comms are an absolute mess...

...and the very soul of the union is looking really unpleasant at the moment.

And that's not all...

Over two days this weekend I was tweeted constantly by someone who claims to be an ardent Equity member claiming he knew all about an email I'd sent to an Equity Council meeting back in January that was supposed to be highly confidential...

(as I believe is all Council business beyond what's actioned and communicated back to the membership). This is alongside a leak to The Times back in January which said...

...that two "rogue" members sent the infamous tweets without consulting the rest of the committee (not true) and that Equity were looking at disciplinary action against us. Equity staff assured us at the time that this was just journalists "making things up"...

I've never believed that. They bend things and are very selective but a paper like The Times does not just invent quotes. This is serious collusion against activists of colour from within the union and the implications are obvious. It surely doesn't get any more serious than this