Gary Lineker in race row over 'fried chicken' Walkers advert

Gary Lineker has become embroiled in a race row over an advertisement for Walker’s new range of 'fried chicken' crisps as critics complain he is the only white person to appear in the broadcast.

Viewers have said the 40-second advert, which promotes the company’s new tie-in with KFC, promotes a racist stereotype of black people enjoying fried chicken.

During the broadcast around 12 people from BAME backgrounds can be seen with Mr Lineker, who appears at the end as Colonel Sanders, as the only visible white face.

Robert Wilson, the owner of the diversity-championing modelling agency which supplied the extras, has described the advert as “controversial”.

In the commercial, Lineker eats a packet of Kentucky Fried Chicken flavour crisps before the camera swoops through the streets and alights on two women sharing a bucket of KFC at a bus stop, and then onto a barbershop.

Mr Wilson, from London-based FOMO model agency, told the Mail on Sunday: "It’s controversial because you’ve got your white Gary Lineker who has fronted all the campaigns, and then a black barber and mixed-race twins.

"Even when the casting brief came through we were a bit like, 'Hmmm, OK.'

“We didn’t actually know that there was only going to be one obviously white guy, who is the face of the brand anyway. I think it’s a case of them trying to keep up with the trends, so to speak.”

Sources at Walker’s told the paper that white extras did feature in the advert but they have zoomed in on only mixed race and black people.

A spokesman for Walkers said: “This ad does feature people of different ethnicities as the casting for all of our advertising reflects the diversity of the nation and our consumers. We are strongly committed to playing our part in pursuing racial and social justice.”

In 2020, Lineker renewed his links with Walkers in a three-year £1.2 million deal and has represented the company for 26 years.