Coronation Street star Trevor Michael Georges has revealed that he experienced racial prejudice from members of the Women’s Institute while working as a young actor.
Georges, who currently plays Ed Bailey in the ITV soap, said that the incident occurred at a property owned by the National Trust, who had employed him to perform educational shows for children.
Georges – whose stage and screen credits include Starlight Express, Doctor Who and Noughts + Crosses – said of the ordeal:
‘One of my first jobs was with the Young National Trust company, which was a theatre group put together by the National Trust. And we would perform for school kids on National Trust sites, such as the huge estate at Dunham Massey in Cheshire.
‘I was the only black actor in that company, which had the run of the building and entire estate. We could use it how we wanted in order to perform this show for the kids.
‘And one day, the director came in absolutely fuming saying that the contingent from the Women’s Institute at this particular venue had complained that a black person was being allowed the run of the house. It did take my breath away.’
Asked what reaction he’d had at the time from his contemporaries, Georges replied, ‘The rest of the company were appalled, and the director said, “Wait until I tell them that you’re a member of Glyndebourne Opera’s chorus”. But I replied, “Why do I need a white seal of approval just to come in here and do my job?”
‘So there was racism going on, but also this accidental patronising where people wanted to show that they were all for the black class, but still missing the point accidentally through wanting to help too much.
‘That doesn’t happen so much today because people are much more educated about different aspects of racism.’
Coronation Street is currently exploring the issue of systemic racism through the experiences of the Bailey family, with show boss Iain MacLeod having revealed recently that the plotline – which has already seen Ed’s son Michael stopped by police in the street and girlfriend Grace accused of shoplifting – will reach a ‘dramatic peak’ in July.
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