Paul_

I hear you, but worry that you misinterpreted my original post. I didn't suggest that she was appointed solely on the basis of her ethnicity. But the more ethnic presenters they have, the closer they can get to their target of 13% of all radio staff being ethnic minority. I'm not saying such a target is a bad thing, I'm just saying that if you think ethnicity plays not part whatsoever in programming/presenter deicisions then you don't know the BBC like I know the BBC... Ben Cooper has a particular responsibility to promote diversity since he is also BBC Radio's "Diversity Sponsor". http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/diversity/pdf/dap-radio-2015-16.pdf

Rightly or wrongly, the BBC do make an effort to ensure that there is an ethnic diversity of presenters on all of their radio and TV output. You can argue this is a good thing and that it is necessary to ensure that the BBC is representative of the diverse population it serves or you could argue that all appointments should be made solely on merit and nothing else should be taken in to consideration whether it's ethnicity, gender or anything else. There are good arguments on both sides. If you don't belive me that the BBC take ethnicity into consideration then you may want to check out recent reports of them advertising for a new presenter for "The One Show" in which they asked specifically for applicants from an ethic minority background... http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bbc-accused-discrimination-after-seeking-8124004

Alice: Half decent. Relatively unadventurous, about par for the course for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon but nothing to write home about. Having said that I prefer her in that slot to Huw Stevens - his daytime shows were painful. Clara: Waste of time really. Just there to make sure that there's a female in their daytime schedule and since she's ethnic minority too that's a bonus as far as the BBC is concerned. Hard to see where her talent actually lies. Adele: Perhaps the best of the bunch, checked her out on iPlayer and thought she was doing a decent job in that slot. At 37 she doesn't have a big future ahead of her at Radio 1 though and whether the BBC will find work for her elsewhere I'm not sure. Annie Mac: Great radio personality. Not so sure about her taste in dance music. But no mention in this thread of the queen of Radio 1 Annie Nightingale? The first lady on Radio 1 in 1970, and in the three years prior to that there had been no women on the station whatsoever. 76 years old and still holding down a job on the station! I listened to her show recently on a long late night drive and was torn between thinking "she still has her finger on the pulse thanks to her years of experience" and "Jesus Christ this is a complete embarassment". I wonder how many people actually listen to that show and can't help but think that she survives because no one would ever have the balls to axe it given that she's such a Radio 1 institution?