BBC show 'most racist ever'

The BBC came under fire today after angry scenes erupted at a special screening of a provocative new drama about the "blame culture" in Britain's black community.

Shoot The Messenger - the story of a teacher trying to save his black students from gangs, crime and underachievement - was called "the most racist programme" in the BBC's history when it was premiered for community leaders, cast and crew in the West End last night.

Members of the audience accused writer Sharon Foster and the BBC of "blatant racism". The film was attacked for painting an "unremittingly negative" stereotype of black people, "demeaning" black culture, and presenting black people "to be laughed at by Europeans".

Toyin Agbetu, of media campaign group Ligali said: "The BBC is producing the most racist programme ever in its history. It has excelled itself. It portrays us as imbeciles without any intellectual ability."

During the Q& A session organised by BBC2 at the Apollo West End, another audience member said: "I've never seen anything so unremittingly negative about black people in years. If it was about Asian people or Jewish people or white people it would never get commissioned. Is this what black people have to do to get on TV?"

But Foster, a former children's tutor in Hackney, vehemently defended the drama.

She said: "When I wrote it, I thought, have I got the courage to not be liked? That was my challenge. But I wanted to look at the blame culture: the fact that, for instance, years ago it was reported that 80 per cent of muggings were done by black boys and they said, 'Well, that's just London' - and what concerned me was no-one said, 'Is this true? What's happening? Why?'

"Or you hear black people saying, 'White people brought guns into this country.' And I remember when Damilola Taylor died I thought to myself, 'Who are we going to blame now?'"

But she admitted: "I've never been as afraid as I was writing this. One night I was shaking, thinking, 'My God, they are going to kill me.' But I wanted to say these things and I wanted to get the debate going."

The drama begins with teacher Joe and the shocking words: "Whenever I think about it, everything bad that has ever happened to me has involved a black person."

Spooks actor David Oyelowo, who plays Joe, insisted: "The film isn't trying to say this is the experience of every black person in this country, but it is of a lot of people.