Alesha Dixon praises ITV for supporting Diversity in newspaper adverts

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ITV ‘stood with Diversity’ as they rolled out a full-page advert across national newspapers in support of the controversial Black Lives Matters Britain’s Got Talent dance on Saturday.

The poster showed a poignant black and white image of Ashley Banjo, 31, taking the knee alongside the words: ‘We are changed by what we see. Just as we are changed when we are seen. ITV stand with Diversity.’ 

It comes in response to 24,500 viewers who complained about the politicisation of the ITV1 prime-time show to Ofcom.

Alesha was one of many who praised ITV for standing by the dance troupe. The singer, 41, took to Instagram to share a snap of the advert and gushed over how ‘proud’ she was with them.

In her caption, she wrote: ‘Well done @ITV for standing with Diversity! Proud of you! This image is in all of the national newspapers today.’ 

Ashley also shared his gratitude with ITV for standing by Diversity over their Black Lives Matter-inspired performance.

Sharing a snap of the same advert, which shows him kneeling in black-and-white, he wrote: ‘This is what change looks like.

‘@ITV stand with @Diversity and we’ve never been prouder. This is in all the national papers today. Thank you again to everyone that has supported us.’

Diversity star Jordan Banjo, 27, who features in the dance troupe with his brother Ashley, also shared a picture of the ITV advert to his Instagram stories on Saturday.  

Fans also took to Twitter to share their delight over the advert, as one wrote: ‘This is how you support #BlackLivesMatter – well done @ITV for not only standing behind @Diversity_Tweet but standing alongside.’

Another added: ‘Yes ITV!! Time for change, time for solidarity’

One user praised: ‘ITV backing Diversity on #BGT: Good on them. ITV running a national advertisement campaign in support of what Diversity did: I’m speechless. This is how you make a statement.’  

Others, however, raised concern, but were unable to reply directly to ITV’s announcement, as the broadcaster had turned the option off. 

Users found a way to make their voices heard by quoting the tweet instead, or replying to Ashley Banjo on Instagram. 

While the majority of responses were positive, one user said the advert was ‘wokeness at its extreme,’ while another said it was a ‘disgrace’.

Replying to Ashley Banjo on Instagram, one man wrote: ‘I am African and bored with this already. Why did you wait for BGT platform to showcase BLM? End of the day it’s all business.’

One woman wrote: ‘Fed up with things that should be family entertainment having political agendas attached to them and rammed down people’s throats. Stop it.’ 

On Thursday, OfCom announced they will not investigate the 24,500 complaints Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-inspired routine from Britain’s Got Talent on September 5.

The performance has now become the second-most complained about television moment of the decade, but a spokesperson for the government-approved regulatory body has confirmed to MailOnline no action will be taken.  

The representative said: ‘We carefully considered a large number of complaints about this artistic routine, an area where freedom of expression is particularly important. 

‘Diversity’s performance referred to challenging and potentially controversial subjects, and in our view, its central message was a call for social cohesion and unity. 

‘Any depictions of violence by the performers were highly stylised and symbolic of recent global events, and there was no explicit reference to any particular political organisation – but rather a message that the lives of black people matter.’

Troupe leader Ashley reacted to the news on Instagram as he shared the statement and penned: ‘Creativity is always a leap of faith. All I did what was what felt right and I’d do it 100 times over… Sending love to everyone that stood by us’. 

The decision was met with a mixed reaction from viewers, with some lauding the move and others claiming firmer action needed to be taken. 

One disgruntled complainer however penned: ‘Absolutely useless. this regulator is totally incompetent. This disgusting quango needs to be abolished. unbelievable…

‘The dance was a political dance, inciting racial division in our country, it was a blatant support for a far left marxist extremist cult. It had no place on a prime time entertainment show.’

Viewers celebrating the move took to Twitter to write: ‘Quite right too. Seems ridiculous that this even needed saying. But apparently, it did… 

‘This is demonstration of good leadership from a public body. Now if you could handle other aspects of public life the country may not be so much in a mess. Thank you for being sensible and seeing the performance for what it is…. 

‘Thank you so much. Hope this stops the hateful and stupid complaining about what was a brilliant, powerful and moving performance.’  

On Wednesday, it was revealed the performance is still receiving complaints almost two weeks after originally airing, with TV regulator Ofcom counting 24,041 to date.  

The routine, which narrated the death of black man George Floyd beneath the knee of a white police officer, divided fans after it aired during the live show.

Viewers took to Twitter in the aftermath of the episode airing on September 5, complaining about the politicisation of the ITV1 prime-time show. 

The response has made it the second most complained about TV moment of all time, just behind Roxanne’s Pallett’s notorious appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, with a record 25,237 objections. 

ITV have stood by Diversity troupe leader Ashley after the performance provoked a heated response.  

In a statement the broadcaster told MailOnline that their performance offered an ‘authentic, heartfelt’ response to the issues of 2020 after viewers criticised the routine for ‘politicising’ the show.

They said: ‘Britain’s Got Talent has always been an inclusive show, which showcases diversity and supports strong storytelling in all forms and ITV stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversity’s performance on BGT.

‘Ashley and the group are a great example of the talent, creativity and diversity of modern Britain and their performance was an authentic, heartfelt response to many of the issues and events which have affected society in 2020.’ 

On Friday, an Ofcom spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline that BGT had received 15,500 complaints. Last Monday, the figure stood at 1,121.

The representative added: ‘We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.’  

Ashley recently broke his silence about Diversity’s routine during the first semi-final, and welcomed the conversation the complaints have started.

The dancer addressed both the positive and negative response in a candid video as he revealed he and the group have been the target of ‘racial abuse and threats’ following the dance.  

In the statement, he said: ‘It’s been a lot, everything from racial abuse to threats, to just some really nasty stuff. I’m not going to give light to it, I’m not going to give it any more time than it deserves. 

‘But a lot of the negativity, the nastiness, and the racism shows exactly why these performances and exactly why this conversation that has arisen is so necessary.  Racism is very real, I’ve known it before and I definitely know it now.’

He originally began his video by thanking those who had supported Diversity and had shared positive messages and well wishes, even mentioning those who had checked in on the members mental well-being during the aftermath of the routine.

Ashley said: ‘Firstly I want to say thank you to all the people who are supportive of me and Diversity’s performance, who’ve reached out. 

‘Honestly it’s overwhelming the positive reaction to what we did. Hundreds of thousands of messages, comments, DMs and interactions in the street.

‘There’s been what 15-16,000 complaints of negativity thrown back at the performance, but trust me I’m right in the centre of it and the negativity is in the minority.

‘The positive response has been huge so thank you so much everyone who has supported and shown love, stood by what we did.’

He added: ‘Everyone who reached out who checked if we were alright, thank you to you as well. 

‘We are good though, we are feeling positive, proud, happy confident and we stand by every single decision that we made for that performance.

‘If I’m honest with you to be able to stand on the very stage that launched Diversity into the limelight as a judge on the panel, standing up for something, using our art to spark nationwide conversation, what more could I ask for as a creative and an artist?

‘To entertain, to get people talking, to cause emotion, that is everything I could have asked for so I am proud and like I said I stand by it so thank you to everyone showing their positivity.’ 

Sharing his decision to remain positive in the face of racist trolls, he went on: ‘After this performance everything that we’ve seen, I don’t know, it’s been overwhelmingly negative sometimes, which is tough.

‘But still, like I said, [I’m] standing strong and feeling so happy with what we’ve done, if that’s what it takes that’s a price I’m absolutely willing to pay.’

Ashley then described the dance routine in full, stipulating that Diversity were giving a ‘summary of 2020’ with their performance tackling topics like lockdown, COVID-19, the NHS, George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement.

‘It was layered, it was something we wanted to bring to the stage to bring hope but also not to shy away from difficult conversations and difficult issues that have arisen,’ he said of the dance.  

‘That’s exactly why the question whether Britain’s Got Talent was the right platform was one that I just can’t get on board with. 

‘If an artist or creative can’t use real world issues, universal issues, to inspire their art and come through how they express them then what’s the point? 

‘Britain’s Got Talent has been a stage for so many incredible performers, artists and talents who want to express all different kinds of emotions and views, and stories, human ones.

‘Of course political ideas are going to work into performances because it affects us every single day, universal things that affect us, that is what art is; it’s an expression of how we feel and this set of 2020 is exactly that.’

Explaining that he wanted Diversity’s dance to express the ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ that he and the group have experienced this year, he then addressed the portion of the dance dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.

‘The bit that was really seemed to connect with people and agitate, annoy and offend people was the fact that we stood up and said that racism is real and as far as we’re concerned it has to change so that we’re tolerant because Black Lives Matter.

‘Now, a lot of people were offended at the political nature of that statement, but that’s never what we intended, black lives mattered long before it was anything political or affiliated with one set of people with a statement.

‘Black Lives Matter is a fact. It is and always will be a fact. That’s what I stand by that’s what every single one of my team proudly standby and that’s why we included it in our summary of 2020.’ 

He praised how the Black Lives Matter movement has ‘made its way around the world’ and ‘started the conversation’ about racism across the globe.

‘I’m so glad that this performance has almost ignited the spark of that conversation to be continued again,’ he admitted. 

‘The fact that it was a medium like a dance and it was on a show like Britain’s Got Talent in the mainstream is so important. 

‘Families, schools, homes, friends are now having this conversation about something that is very real and affects so many people.

‘I’m proud, I’m happy and like I said I want to say thank you to everyone who supported us. I don’t want this conversation to end.’

Ashley concluded by reiterating his gratitude to followers who have stood by him and Diversity, and he ‘sent love’ to ‘every single one of you that’s thrown positive energy or negative energy at me and the group.’  

Britain’s Got Talent’s second semi-final pulled in 4.95 million viewers, just a week after its first show sparked backlash from viewers. 

Despite the controversy BGT only saw a decrease of 350,000 viewers on the previous week’s show when it returned to screens on Saturday. 

The numbers were still a strong showing for BGT, as it received more than double the viewership of its main rival in the slot, The Last Night of the Proms, which has faced its own controversy and only drew in 2.1 million viewers.

At its peak on Saturday, 5.7million viewers tuned into BGT.  

Last week’s BGT pulled in 5.3 million viewers, as the show returned to screens after the semi-finals were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time in the show’s 13-year history, the semis have been pre-recorded, with the second show being filmed two weeks ago, before Diversity’s BLM performance aired.   

Ashley’s wife Francesca took to social media to share her own thoughts on the negative reaction from some viewers, saying ‘shying away from issues’ is not the answer. 

Sharing clips from the performance, she wrote: ‘On Saturday @ashleybanjogram and @diversityofficial performed this routine on @bgt, 11 years after winning the show. To call this a ‘dance routine’ is an understatement to say the least.

‘This piece was a take on the unprecedented events of 2020, from Covid 19 to BLM, from clapping for carers as a nation to coming together in our own families and finding the light in the darkest of times.

‘Some may find this uncomfortable, may feel it inappropriate, but shying away from issues is not going to bring about the change that is so long overdue.’ 

She added: ‘Watching this I could not be prouder of my husband. 

‘Rose and Micah will watch this and when they are old enough to understand they will be proud that their Dad created something so poignant and used his voice to stand up for what is right. We are one race, the human race.’  

During their performance, the dance group, who were dressed in riot gear, recited a viral poem about the BLM movement before going on to show a policemen placing a hand over Banjo’s throat as he lay on the ground to the song I Can’t Breathe.

Speaking after the performance Banjo told MailOnline: ‘This performance is extremely special to me and the rest of Diversity.  

‘2020 has been an incredible moment in history for both positive and negative reasons.  

‘We wanted to use the platform we’ve been given to make our voices heard, express how the events of this year have made us feel and think about how we might look back on them in the future… We call it hindsight 2020.’ 

Following the death of Floyd earlier this year thousands across the globe took to the streets calling for the officers involved to be jailed for their crime.  

Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged in June with second-degree murder while officers Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – were also charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.