The BBC, again accused of racism for its treatment of Meghan Markle
A new show on the British network parodies the Duchess of Sussex with a skin tone darker than hers and with a violent personality
A new BBC program, Tonight With Vladimir Putin, has not gotten off to a good start on its opening day and has been accused of being racist for its parodied image of Meghan Markle. The show, broadcast last Sunday, consists of a parody starring different 3D avatars of public figures, with Vladimir Putin as presenter and host, and one of the sections is dedicated to the Duchess of Sussex.
Under the name of Meghan Markle’s Royal Sparkle - which in Spanish could be translated as The royal shine of Meghan Markle - appears the wife of Prince Harry of England, played by a virtual avatar voiced by the actress and screenwriter Gbemisola Ikunelo. The controversy has arisen as a result of the skin tone chosen for the Duchess of Sussex, as many followers of British royalty have flooded social networks with comments accusing the program of being racist for portraying Meghan Markle as blacker than it really is and consider it a mockery of the racial origin of Markle, whose mother, Doria Ragland, is African American.
However, the character's dark skin has not been the only thing that has caused the anger of many, but also the violence with which the false duchess speaks of some topics. In this space, the virtual Markle answers questions posed by the audience present on the set. "I'd like to know what makes you angry?" An audience member asks Markle's avatar at one point on the show. She replies that she hates being asked to borrow her comb because she thinks it's gross. "And then when I go back into the room I notice that my comb has been used because it's full of slutty hair that is turning gray, so I tell her, 'Don't see you get close to my fucking comb or I'll cut you, Kate. Or Amanda, or Jessica, or any other person because this is a completely hypothetical situation ”, the parodic Markle continues in her explanation. A comment that makes an obvious reference to Kate Middleton, with whom it has been said for months that they have a complicated relationship.
At another point, when Markle is asked by her father, Thomas Markle, and by her sister, Samantha Markle, the virtual duchess responds: "Next question." Another reference to the current situation of Enrique de Inglaterra's wife with her family, since since the preparations for her wedding with the grandson of Elizabeth II there is a bad or non-existent relationship with both her father and her brothers.
This is not the first time that the BBC has been embroiled in a controversy with the last member of the British royal family. Just a month ago, when Archie, the son of the Dukes of Sussex, was born, the British network was forced to fire a radio host for posting a message comparing the newborn to a chimpanzee.
