Entertainment
Ashley Banjo believes Bafta win for Diversity Black Lives Matter performance ‘represents what the country truly thinks’
Ashley described the Bafta win as meaning ‘everything’ to him (Picture: PA/BBC)
Diversity dance star Ashley Banjo has reflected on the group’s 2021 Bafta win for Virgin TV’s must see-moment for their powerful Black Lives Matter inspired routine, seeing it as ‘what the country really thinks’.
The dance, which was performed on Britain’s Got Talent’s first semi-final of the series in September 2020, was a reflection on topical issues of the past year, including the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd.
The homecoming for BGT’s 2009 winning act sparked 31,000 Ofcom complaints and saw 32-year-old Ashley subjected to racist comments online at the rate of 100 abusive tweets per minute.
However despite acknowledging the ‘polar opposites’ in reaction, the choreographer and dancer has chosen to believe the Bafta win is the public’s true response to the emotive routine.
Describing how the win meant ‘everything’, Ashley explained: ‘To go from being the most complained about group of people in the country to winning a Bafta for the must-see moment as voted for by the public – it’s like polar opposite ends of the scale.’
The star, who was chatting on The One Show on Monday, commented further on the division in public reaction to the performance.
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‘Even though it’s the same Great British public, it represents a completely different group of people to me,’ he revealed.
‘All of the hate [of] minority. That Bafta represents, in my view, what the country really thinks, so I’m forever grateful for everyone that voted.’
For anyone wondering where he keeps his award, the new host of ITV gameshow The Void reassured presenters Jermaine Jenas and Emma Willis that it has pride of place on his mantelpiece.
The dance routine drew more than 31,000 Ofcom complaints in total (Picture: ITV)
Ashley has also very recently revealed that he is in talks with Hollywood producers about a possible Diversity action-inspired blockbuster, which he described as feeling ‘like Mission: Impossible or Fast and Furious’, but ‘with dance stunts and genuine creativity at the heart of it’.
More: Black Lives Matter
Speaking to The Sunday Mirror, he teased that the bosses he’d been speaking to were ‘very experienced in action movies and they know dance’.
Considering the current record-breaking box office performance of Fast and Furious 9, we reckon Ashley’s on to a good thing.
The One Show airs weeknights at 7pm on BBC One.
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