Antiques Roadshow star recalls staff uproar over BBC diversity targets

Andy McConnell, a veteran Antiques Roadshow presenter who has valued glass on the BBC show since 2005, said he heard about a 2018 London briefing in which a producer claimed the BBC hierarchy wanted to appoint more presenters who were women, gay or people of colour in order to meet diversity targets.

McConnell described a riot-like reaction at the meeting after a presenter who is gay challenged the idea of positive discrimination, noting that his own work had been reduced from five to three shows this year. The producer allegedly asked whether the presenter had disclosed their sexuality to the BBC, prompting further anger.

The briefing occurred as the BBC launched its diversity drive after an Ofcom report in 2018 found that fewer than half of the broadcaster's staff were women. McConnell said the climate created by such drives contributed to an atmosphere where comments and complaints could be blown out of proportion.

McConnell also recalled being reprimanded by the BBC at least ten times for allegedly un-PC behavior on Antiques Roadshow, remarks he discussed during a Somerset talk last week titled Banter With Bonkers.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We do not condone such ill-judged interpretations of what is an inclusive workplace. We are proud of all work to create an inclusive workplace."

The episode underscores ongoing tensions around diversity targets in British broadcasting, particularly for long-running cultural programs like Antiques Roadshow.