You know as well as I do who "the Powers That Be" at the BBC are. White, straight, cisgender, usually male, somewhere between 60 and 75. Public school, Oxford or Cambridge, already got his OBE and confident of his KG on retirement.

He knows that A Fuss Is Being Made about Equality and Diversity. Mostly in the House of Commons and the red-brick universities -long-haired hippies getting their knickers in a twist again. He doesn't know much about Equality and Diversity. They had a workshop about it, but he was playing a round of golf with old Cholmondeleigh-Featherstonehaugh that day.

So he drifts back into the office after lunch, three sheets in the wind, probably, and reads his messages. Memo from the Board reminding everyone that they need more representation of minorites, blah, blah. Message from Head of Drama saying they're looking for a new lead for "Doctor Who". Hum. That's that science-fiction thing, isn't it? Lots of young people watch it? Right! He fires off a memo to Head of Drama saying "Make sure new lead is Black or a woman or something." Job done.

I was a Civil Servant for many years, and I assure you, that's pretty much how things happen among the higher echelons. Their world is so isolated that they don't even realise that problems exist.

Casting more minority actors in lead roles will not solve systemic racism or sexism. People know that when they see a Black or female person in an important role or job, it doesn't reflect how things really are. Those in charge do it to keep the boss off their backs and that goes all the way up the line.