WHEN DID ETHNIC MINORITIES MAKE THE FIRST BREAKTHROUGH IN THE MEDIA?

For many decades, it was a struggle for the young ethnic population to find anyone they could identify with in the papers or on television. This all changed in 1973 when Trevor McDonald became Britain's first black newsreader, paving the way for many others including Moira Stewart, Zeinab Badawi and Krishnan Guru-Murthy. They're only journalists perched in front of a camera, but British television audiences have always invested their trust in their newsreaders.

In 1987 with the election of four non-white MPs: Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant and Keith Vaz another milsetone was achieved. All were elected on a Labour ticket and promised to further the cause of better race relations. But their paths have varied widely since.

Boateng and Vaz, both lawyers, made it to government roles: the former is now financial secretary to the Treasury, the latter stepped down as Europe minister soon after becoming implicated in the Hinduja passport scandal, although he was cleared by an official inquiry.

Over the years, McDonald has become a revered broadcaster and was even named as one of the top 1,000 icons of Britishness by members of the public in a 1999 poll.