Coronation Street viewers have slammed ITV after a character was seen making a ‘racist’ comment regarding her hair.
The episode, which was shown on Bank Holiday Monday, featured a scene involving Cath Tyldesley’s character Eva Price and Sue Nicholls’ Audrey Roberts.
In the episode, Eva visits Audrey’s hair salon and comments: “I have more roots than Kunta Kinte. No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say.”
Kunta Kinte was a character who featured in the novel Roots. His story tracks from his birth in 1750 to his death in 1822, during which time he was captured in Gambia and became a slave in America.
Unsurprisingly, the comments have gained criticism across social media.
The creators of the soap have since apologised to viewers who found the phrase offensive, the Mirror reports. An ITV spokesperson said: “We apologise if this dialogue has caused offence.”
This is the second time in a week that ITV bosses have found themselves facing criticism. Earlier this week, Emmerdale sparked outrage from viewers after a character made a comment about a drunk person acting like someone with cerebral palsy.
Nicola King’s character was branded ‘disgusting’ as she said: “You can’t go around like that, all cocked. You look like you’ve got Hemiplegia.”
Get your shit together, ITV.
