The crass tokenism of the diversity obsessives

In a bid to flaunt their 'progressive' credentials, TV and advertising bosses are force-feeding us a distorted view of the world

I have watched the film Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, probably around a hundred times. It is a favourite of my teenage daughter’s, and whenever she settles down for another screening, she invariably ropes me in.

It’s an enjoyable rom-com, but I must confess that, with each fresh viewing, I cringe a little more. Not because it’s particularly cheesy or outdated, but on account of a glaring and inexcusable omission.

The film, as the title indicates, is set in a district of west London. The area in question, and its surrounds, happen in real life to be ethnically diverse. Yet watch closely for the two hours or so that the film runs, and among the scores of faces – extras as well as main cast – which flash across your screen, including in settings such as local streets, markets and restaurants, you would do well to see a non-white one.

Not unreasonably, the producers of the film have, over the years, come in for a bit of stick for this oversight. After all, the production was guilty of failing to recognise the existence of a significant section of the community in which it was set and, as a result, ended up depicting a false reality (which, unless you are making a fantasy or sci-fi feature, should always be avoided). Thus, notwithstanding the general popularity of the film, it can hardly be denied that the producers made a pretty serious error.

All of which is quite enough throat-clearing on my part before I explain why the opposite extreme of hyper-diversity in the entertainment and advertising industries, which is where we have now arrived, is equally false and cringeworthy.