The BBC wanted black listeners and turned to Tim Westwood, white son of a vicar. A parable for our times | Jane Martinson

Tim Westwood joined BBC Radio 1 in 1994 to launch the UK ’s first national hip-hop radio show.

He was described as a dominant force’ in rap music, a genre popular among the young people, particularly Black ones, who didn’t listen to the BBC .

BBC hired the white, middle-class son of a vicar who affected the vulgar language of rappers in an effort to increase cultural representation and appeal to Black and Asian listeners.

A review into its broader culture launched by Samir Shah , its first minority ethnic chair as well as a distinguished former journalist, will be produced by the end of this year . This review should consider the culture of silence around inappropriate behaviour by many powerful men, some of whom were moulded and feted by the BBC . But it should also address the lazy thinking that led to this scandal, this trauma continuing for so many victims while everyone looked the other way. The problem with saying “not again” is that we keep on having to say it..