Coronation Street facing Ofcom probe after 'racist' roots remark sparks 472 complaints
By Jessica Earnshaw - The Express
BROADCASTING watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into an episode of Coronation Street, after it was accused of racism for a comment a character made about her hair.
The instalment, broadcast last month, saw Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) visit Audrey Roberts' hair salon, where she remarked: "I have more roots than Kunta Kinte."
The bubbly blonde continued: "No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say."
Kunta Kinte was a character from the novel Roots: The Saga Of An American Family, which was adapted into a hit TV miniseries.
Based on a real-life ancestor of author Alex Haley, it tells the story of a young man taken from Gambia and sold as a slave.
The controversial scene focused on character Eva Price
Eva's remarks, which led Coronation Street to "apologise if this dialogue has caused offence", sparked 472 complaints.
An Ofcom spokesman said today: "We're investigating whether a comment made by a character in Coronation Street was offensive and breached generally accepted standards."
Following the controversial statement in August, viewers had flocked to Twitter to complain about the reference.
One user wrote: "@ITV horrified that scriptwriters on #CoronationStreet think it's ok to make 'jokes' about slavery. Who are the gatekeepers? Smh #KuntaKinte."
Another added: "@itvcorrie Kunta Kinte - really Coronation Street? I think you need to have a word with the scriptwriter!"
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