Reform’s Sarah Pochin: Adverts full of black people ‘drive me mad’

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/labour-nigel-farage-reform-asian-talktv-b2852205.html

by The-Peel

31 comments

  1. Do you think she sings “Eenie meanie miney moe, catch a tiger by its toe” but with the original words?

  6. *”I’m not not racist, it’s just that adverts for cheese burgers with 3 or more black people in them make me really angry…”*

  7. And there it is! Mask off. 

    But please, do keep gaslighting me that Reform isn’t the party of racists. 

  8. Absolutely shocking! Who the fuck still watches adverts?

  10. I mean there have been studies on how this is basically correct, they over represent black people and under represent Asians in British averts potentially based on copying Americans

  11. I notice that there are a disproportionate number of ethnic minority people in ads.

    But if you think this is something worth voting for a political party based on, I will think you are weird.

    Also, let’s remember Reform are basically Thatcherites with anti-immigration on top. They are fundamentally free-market in a lot of their beliefs and policies. And since no one is FORCING companies to cast particular people in their ads, what are Reform actually going to do about it? Unless they want to force companies to have a particular percentage of different ethnicities in ads, which would be weird and not very free market of them.

    Or is it just a dog whistle, maybe?

  12. I find it somewhat amusing that our adverts always have black people in them (usually as part of a mixed race family). But it certainly isn’t worth being ‘driven mad’ over (maybe an eye roll). Advertisers simply do it because they don’t want to be the only company with a full white cast, and therefore perceived as racist by the consuming public, or be the subject of a social media witch hunt for their choice of actors.

    I imagine that it might drive me mad if I were a small time actor trying to find work in adverts, though.

  13. I swear we’re going backwards. I feel this wouldn’t pass the “most people think that’s racist” test 10 years ago…

  16. It doesn’t drive me mad, but it sure is weird. When you travel a lot it does become rather apparent how uniquely unrepresentative our adverts are.

  17. How easy must your life be for this to be something that drives you mad.

  18. Let’s see how many people think it’s ok to only read the headline when it’s about Reform.

    I agree with what she says, just not the way she said it. Do I feel represented in adverts? Not really, because I’m straight, white and not overweight. ITV even have [targets](https://www.itvplc.com/social-purpose/diversity-equity-and-inclusion). The actual [numbers](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-this-the-end-of-black-over-representation-in-advertising/) across adverts from all networks are much higher though. It’s not representative of the UK and a world away from Cornwall where I’m from.

    Most Reddit users claim that they never watch TV with adverts anyway, so they probably have no idea!

  19. How is this just asking questions? These vile, racist people aren’t fucking welcome here.

  20. Well at least she’s not pretending like the others

  21. Sarah Pochin, never heard of her. Let’s see what [her history’s like](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Pochin) then…

    > Pochin was reprimanded in 2018 by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) for misconduct during her tenure as a magistrate. The JCIO determined that Pochin used her judicial position to influence colleagues’ views in a political context and breached confidentiality by publicising the complaint against her. The JCIO stated that her actions “fell below the standards expected of a magistrate”.

    > In July 2025, Pochin said she had received “disturbing reports” about incidents happening in a street in her consistency, however, residents of the street in question said the reports were “untrue” and Cheshire Constabulary said it had received no such reports.[30] A male resident of the street for 30 years said Pochin was trying to fulfil a “personal agenda” and accused Pochin of “scaremongering and hate-stirring and talking down a town which you were elected to represent”.[30] Another resident of the street for almost 40 years said that Pochin did not speak for her and a resident of the street of eight years said of Pochin, “Not anything that she has said is real”.

    Well she certainly sounds upstanding!

  22. Continuing war in Ukraine, daily incursions and shadow attacks on NATO, wholesale destruction of democracy and rule of law in the US and Europe, climate change, financial system being all rickety again..

    But I tell you what, I saw a black fella in a Persil advert. Now I’m angry.

  23. I love that these Reform types despise the BBC because of its supposed left-wing bias (and the license fee) but can’t find respite with the commercial channels because all the adverts drive them crazy. Being a right-wing bigot must be exhausting.

  24. Caption for the picture “Oh look, there’s another one of them there…”

  25. It always amuses me how thin skinned and sensitive all these racists are. Poor baby has to see black people on her TV some times.

  27. I mean it’s totally true that if an alien watched only British TV they would think that Black and Asian people made up about 50% of the population. It doesn’t make me mad, it just looks kinda silly most of the time. Although my personal theory is that it’s basically because all the big advertising firms and TV studios will be headquartered in London, so the demographic makeup of London is treated as the default (when in reality it’s an outlier).

    The only time it kinda irritates me is when it looks completely absurd, like a BBC show set in rural Aberdeenshire with like half the main cast being black or brown. It just looks ridiculous because it’s anyone from there knows it’s completely divorced from reality.

  29. Adverts in general drive me mad, like Temu, Gambling and Very but no, let’s pick on black people because that’s totally the issue(!).

  30. How do these people think that ad agencies and the companies that hire them care about anything other than profit?

    It’s not a culture war, you’re just weird.

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