Former Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity returned to Britain's Got Talent to address the controversy and thank supporters following their powerful Black Lives Matter performance in 2020. The routine, which portrayed the death of George Floyd in America and the protests that followed, featured dancer, choreographer and BGT guest judge Ashley Banjo having his neck knelt on by a white police officer and the group taking the knee in a statement against racism.
The performance was accused by viewers of taking a political stance during a flagship family entertainment show and became one of the most complained about TV moments. ITV stood by its broadcast of the dance, which garnered around 24,500 complaints to the broadcasting regulator Ofcom.
Tonight (Wednesday) Diversity were back with another spellbinding performance about social media and connectivity during the third Britain's Got Talent semi-final show. And they took the knee again as a flashback scene and headlines about their much-talked-about Black Lives Matter routine were flashed on a big screen and rain poured down.
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A voiceover said: "Exposure to this type of connection can cause your entire outlook to change. It fills you with hope and joy. Sometimes it fills you with struggle and pain.
"You know what I've learned, you can't be angry at the rain. It simply doesn't known how to fall upwards this rain and sometimes people love you, sometimes they complain. You stand by what you believe in if you want to make change. Nothing but love for those that stood by our name."
@Sprincey1968 praised on Twitter: "Yet again another outstanding performance from @Diversity_Tweet. So glad they did a throwback to that performance where there was loads of totally stupid complaints. Keep on telling it like it is #BGT." @Alex05923602 wrote: "Big up Diversity for not changing their stance." @KiranLadva wrote: "Diversity are the best act to have ever walked out of Britain’s Got Talent - no arguments." And @dudeitsdivya wrote: "People who find Diversity boring or annoying for speaking out on race issues have the privilege of not having to worry about these issues in the first place #BGT so glad they stood their ground.
An ITV spokesman said at the time about their 2020 routine: "Britain's Got Talent has always been an inclusive show, which showcases diversity and supports strong storytelling in all forms and ITV stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversity's performance on BGT.
"Ashley and the group are a great example of the talent, creativity and diversity of modern Britain and their performance was an authentic, heartfelt response to many of the issues and events which have affected society in 2020."
Sharing examples of some of the vile comments he'd received, Ashley told his followers on Instagram: "No I don’t mean 'criticism'... I mean 'Racism.' I mean hate ... I mean the very thing that makes every single second of that performance and every single complaint worth it."
Explaining the concept behind the performance, he said it was meant to round-up an extraordinary year including COVID-19, lockdown, the NHS and the spotlight shone on racism with the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed.
"Hindsight 2020 – that is what the performance was about," he said. "It was something we wanted to bring to the stage to give people hope, not to shy away from the difficult conversations."
