Rachel Riley has become synonymous with Countdown. She is loved by the nation and outrageously intelligent. So, when it was announced she was going on maternity leave after giving birth to her second daughter there were big shoes to fill.
Enter Anne-Marie Imafidon, a former child prodigy whose achievements include getting two A-levels at 11-years-old, a scholarship to study maths at John Hopkins University at 13, and a master’s degree in maths and computer science from Oxford at 20. That is some CV.
Yet, when Imafidon was announced as Riley’s maternity cover for the next 60 episodes of Countdown, trolls could only focus on one thing: her race.
‘Something tells me there’s politically progressive motivations behind Rachel Riley’s replacement,’ one person wrote cruelly alongside a picture of the mathematician in front of the Countdown set.
‘That poor woman, must be awful knowing you didn’t get the job because of your intelligence alone but that the main driving factor was your skin colour,’ added another. To which, Twitter (thankfully) erupted.
‘Do your research before assuming something negative based on the colour of a person's skin,’ replied Labour MP for Brent Central Dawn Butler as she listed off Imafidon’s endless academic achievements before signing off: ‘There’s more but I ain’t got time.’
Meanwhile, another fan rushed to defend Imafidon against a group threatening to boycott the show with her at the helm.‘There is a whole list of people in this thread that are publicly stating they won’t watch a show anymore due to a Black person being hired,’ they wrote. ‘Racists now feel so comfortable in the UK that they don’t even hide it anymore.’
Imafidon is the first Black woman to present Countdown. She made her debut appearance on the show during Channel 4’s Black To Front day where programmes featured Black presenters, actors, writers and creators in order to champion under-represented audiences and communities.
But the notion that Imafidon’s skin colour somehow outweighs her clear aptitude to take on the role is ludicrous. She was voted the most influential woman in IT in the UK in 2020. She speaks six languages. She has an MBE for services to young women within STEM careers after creating a initiative called Stemettes.
In the words of one supporter: 'The audacity to call Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon a “diversity appointment” when she is the most qualified person to ever host Countdown.'
Hiring a Black person has nothing to do with tokenism and everything to do with talent. And diversity in the workplace isn’t an unnecessary, hoop-jumping, formality, but an essential effort towards achieving equality. There should be no tolerance for suggesting otherwise.
Speaking exclusively to Grazia, Imafidon said of the social media reaction to her new role on Countdown: 'I can't say that I'm surprised at trolls trolling. Racists are always going to racist.
'What I'm more interested in, and spend my time and headspace on, is ensuring genuine progress across society - from education and academia to the workplace, from technology to the arts, on screen and in creative processes. That's why I do what I do with Stemettes, the Institute For The Future Of Work and numerous other organisations I work with.'
And thankfully, some fan’s problematic views were balanced by Imafidon’s supporters, who wrote: ‘Not all heroes wear capes. It’s so massive to see incredible women like Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon on a main TV channel. My maths isn’t great but I’ll be tuning in and brushing up my skills. Keep going! We’re all behind you.’
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