The Stage

West End star Garcia is latest to accuse BBC of ageism

Published Tuesday 10 November 2009 at 12:40 by Matthew Hemley

Equal roles: West End star Adam Garcia has waded into the ongoing row over the BBC’s decision to drop Arlene Phillips from Strictly Come Dancing, claiming his former mentor was a victim of ageism and branding the move “ridiculous and inappropriate”.

The performer is the latest high-profile figure to criticise the Corporation, following its decision to replace Phillips with Alesha Dixon. Esther Rantzen, Julian Clary, Sandi Toksvig and MP Harriet Harman all recently questioned the BBC’s attitude to older female presenters.

Speaking to The Stage, Garcia, who started his West End musical career working with Phillips on Grease, before taking the lead role in her production of Saturday Night Fever, said there was no reason other than ageism for Phillips’ replacement, but said the Corporation would continue to deny it until the matter goes away.

Garcia said: “I can’t see any other reason to be honest. I know they will deny it because they have to. It’s like Jade Goody denying she was a racist [after she used racist terms to refer to Celebrity Big Brother co-star Shilpa Shetty]. I don’t know what happened, but I feel it was ageism and they [the BBC] will deny it until it goes away,” he said.

He added it was a “shame” that the line-up of the show had to change, because Phillips brought her knowledge of dance to the judging panel.

“I don’t know the other girl [Alesha], but Arlene knows what she talks about. Obviously I am very fond of her and she was my mentor, so I am going to be biased. But you can tell her passion about dancing. That is her thing and what she has always championed in this country, because she loves dancing. So it’s a shame that had to change,” he said.

Garcia’s comments follow a survey conducted for Saga Magazine last month, which revealed that 68% of people over 50 believe there is “clear evidence of ageism” against older presenters on television, with 81% claiming ageism is more evident against women.

However, a spokeswoman for the BBC said the broadcaster has “numerous mature presenters, including females, in prime time shows” and stressed Phillips’ replacement on the show had nothing to do with her age.

She said the choreographer would be seen next year as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, a new talent show for BBC1, and added: “The decision to replace Arlene Phillips with Alesha Dixon on the judging panel of Strictly is, and always has been, about bringing a new dimension to the programme’s judging line up. It is absolutely not about Arlene’s age or performance on the show.”

Controversy over Phillips’ removal follows complaints about the lack of roles on offer to older actresses, particularly on television. A petition supported by Equity calling on broadcasters to address the perceived lack of opportunities has attracted around 5,000 signatures to date.