Complaint
In this edition of The Repair Shop the presenter Jay Blades made reference to the phrase “no blacks, no Irish, no dogs” in the context of a discussion about Britain in the 1960s. A viewer questioned the common existence of the phrase at the time and complained the programme overstated the extent to which black people had avoided public bars and pubs due to racism. The ECU considered the complaint against the standards for due accuracy set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
In this programme a woman from London visited the team with a small home drinks bar which her grandmother had used while throwing so called blues parties in the 1960s. She explained these parties were often organised so that people could enjoy a night with friends at home without the discrimination they might face when trying to gain entry to public venues.
The ECU accepted there has been debate in the past about the prevalence of such signs. However The Repair Shop is not a history programme, where one might expect precision on historical points. This was a case of someone conveying their family’s personal experiences. Moreover it is widely recorded that in the UK, particularly during the period after the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush many black people encountered prejudice both in connection with housing and also in connection access to bars, pubs and other amenities.
Not upheld