Darcus Howe troublesome, outspoken writer and social commentator best known as the Devil’s Advocate, which is the name of a current affairs program he fronted for Channel 4 television in the mid-eighties. Politically active since the 60s he writes a regular column for the magazine the New Statesman and is no stranger to controversy. Several of the television shows he has fronted for the BBC and Channel 4 have whipped up reactions — more recently ‘White Tribe’ a look at Anglo-Saxon Britain. His daughter, Tamara Howe, is a director of production for London Weekend Television (LWT). He lives in Brixton, South London.
See also : http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Biography/bio_DarcusHowe_BlackActivist-Journalist.htm
I heard about Darcus causing a right ruckus on BBC Radio 4 the other day when
he basically accused Joan Rivers of being a racist ( http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2114012005 ). I don’t know if this was to gain publicity for a new show of his coming out soon, but if that was the case it was rather a bad way to go about it. It is not like him to play the ‘race’ card so blatantly. Anyone that considers Bernhard Manning to be a friend, or at least understand where he was coming from you would have thought to be more tolerant. Either that or he really does think that Joan Rivers is a racist. He must have something to back that up with because although quite often outspoken, he is very careful in making accusations without having some evidence.
Joan Rivers is not someone I immediately relate with Racism, but then I can’t remember much of her material either. And what I do remember, she is rather annoying at that, but still I would not have associated her with a racist person. (Unless it was her ‘Old Man Rivers….’)
