Coronation Street apologises for 'racist' joke about Kunta Kinte

Kinte was a character in an unflinching novel and TV series about slavery

Coronation Street producers have apologised after a “racist” joke in its Bank Holiday Monday episode sparked hundreds of complaints.

Eva Price, played by Catherine Tyldesley, was seen moaning that she has “more roots than Kunta Kinte” in Audrey’s salon. “No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say,” she quipped.

Kunta Kinte was a character in an unflinching novel and TV series about slavery called Roots: The Saga of an American Family, as many of the viewers who called out the line on social media were aware. Kinte was based on a Gambian ancestor of the book’s author Alex Haley, who was taken to the US and sold as a slave.

“Coronation Street scriptwriters seriously need some diversity training,” wrote one angry viewer, while others branded the scene “culturally insensitive”.

Since the scene aired, almost 300 people have complained to media regulator Ofcom. “We will assess these complaints before we decide whether to investigate or not,” a spokesperson said.

Coronation Street bosses said: “We apologise if this dialogue has caused offence”.