Andi Peters reminds Piers Morgan he is 'only person of colour' in the GMB studio amid Bafta debate

Good Morning Britain’s Andi Peters has called out the lack of diversity on TV, reminding hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that he was the “only person of colour standing in this studio”.

Peters was asked by Morgan on Monday to comment on the ongoing diversity issue plaguing the entertainment industry.

Morgan, 54, said: “This whole issue of diversity at the Baftas, which is also going to hit the Oscars... So, for years now, Bafta’s been announcing 'we're gonna be more diverse, we’re gonna be more diverse'. The movie industry has become much more diverse...

“And yet the award nominations come out for Bafta, all 20 acting awards are for white people, white actors. And on the director front, not a single woman. Where is the diversity, and because it’s not there, what is going wrong?"

Peters, 49, said: “I think fundamentally there aren't enough people of colour working in our industry. That's a fact.

“Am I, or am I not, the only person of colour standing in this studio right now? Yep, I am.”

Looking down the camera, he added: “If I am a role model to anyone who is watching I want to say, 'you can do it'.

Read more: Joaquin Phoenix criticises lack of diversity at Bafta

“I have been working in this industry for 30 years. I may not have my own show in a primetime slot but I have been on telly for 30 years. I remember I was being black on television when there was only me, Trevor McDonald and Lenny Henry.”

At the 2020 Baftas on Sunday, Prince William urged the industry to make changes, telling the audience: “Yet in 2020 and not for the first time in the last few years we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process.

“That simply cannot be right in this day and age.”

Joaquin Phoenix used his Bafta winner’s speech to tell his peers it is up to them to “dismantle” the systemic racism that pervades the industry.

“I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you’re not welcome here,” he said. “I think that’s the message that we’re sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium, and our industry, in ways that we benefit from.”

He added: “This is not a self-righteous condemnation because I’m ashamed to say that I’m part of the problem. I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive, but I think that it’s more than just having sets that are multicultural.

“I think that we have to really do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism. I think that it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it.”