Coronation Street bosses apologise following accusations of RACISM

After 56 years on the box, Coronation Street is, undoubtedly, an institution in the UK and Ireland.

And yet despite their decades of experience, bosses behind the Manchester soap still find themselves on the wrong side of the public from time to time.

Case in point: Monday's episode of the long-running soap.

During a scene in the street's salon Eva Price, played by Catherine Tyldesley, made reference to an enslaved character from novel and TV mini-series Roots, saying: "I've got more roots than Kunta Kinte."

"No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say," the character added.

#CoronationStreet I am not going 2 lie I am very disheartened by the #KuntaKenti remark It will NEVER be ok to make jokes about slavery EVER

— Cherelle Taylor (@CherelleTaylors) August 30, 2016

Viewers took to Twitter in their droves to express their disgust that Kunta Kinte – a young man taken from Gambia and sold as a slave –  was the subject of such a throwaway remark.

"So what’s up with the cultural insensitivity on Coronation Street? ‘I got more Roots than Kunta Kinte’ That’s kinda racist," wrote one while another added: "Really Coronation Street? I think you need to have a word with the scriptwriter!"

Hows she gonna say I got more roots than kunte kinte then say she don't even know who it is #puredisrespect #coronationstreet

— ScarySpice (@RealistSpice) August 29, 2016

In addition to voicing their opinions on Twitter, almost 300 people reported the scene to television watchdog Ofcom who said: "We will assess these complaints before we decide whether to investigate or not."

Acknowledging the public's distaste for the scene, a spokeswoman for the soap said: "We apologise if this dialogue has caused offence."