The one show - presenter is son of famous singer but what about giving my son a chance

[Neapolitanicecream]

I just wish there was a fair crack for all our sons and daughters to get theses opportunities 🤢

The op has a point, people already In the industry have connections and can help get their kids a foot In the door. In general though they tend not to be successful if they are not also talented. Like the beckham or Ramsey kids.

Roman kemp is very successful in his own right but clearly got the small initial weekend gig due to his family connections, as he was good at it he then made his own way .

However let’s be honest the vast majority of famous people in the media are not from famous families.

The point being my DD might be significantly better than your DS we will never know because she doesn’t have an auntie in publishing.

And remember that the children of celebrities probably have more experience in their particularly industry too, ie Zoe Ball and Fat Boy Slim's children both DJ and would have been taught by their dad.

Their grandad used to do think of a number too so it's double nepotism.

ie Zoe Ball and Fat Boy Slim's children both DJ and would have been taught by their dad.

With Zoes’s dad being presenter Johnny Ball so it’s 3rd generation media involvement there.

There are plenty who have doors opened and try but don’t make it like Chloe Madeley who tried presenting a number of times including on her parent’s programme. However she really wasn’t that good and didn’t progress into a media career despite a few reality tv appearances.

To get in front of the camera unfortunately people usually seem (not always) to have to have the right look, as well as charisma and talent and Roman has that. There are such limited opportunities those with connections and exposure to the industry growing up are bound to find it easier. It’s also easier for the industry if they have someone land rather than have to go out to mass auditions or applications every time they need someone which would be lengthy, expensive and probably fruitless a lot of the time.

At least the reality shows give some people a way in like Rylan who want from joke contestant to competent presenter.

Don't get me started, OP!!

As others have said, it's incredibly annoying but very hard to put a stop to. I remember reading an article in the Radio Times inviting us all to celebrate the fact that Esther Rantzen's daughter had been given her own show on radio. Ditto John Peel's son (this was some years ago!). Don't they feel any embarrassment at the blatant nepotism?? Clearly not. I'm always very cynical about second generation media stars - although I admit that David and Jonathan Dimbleby are very good at their jobs - if extremely smug.

So many 'glamorous' jobs are effectively closed to ordinary mortals. I've often heard or read interviews with such people who've been asked how they got into their job and they say "Oh, I was a dinner party and just happened to sit next to Big Cheese, who said "Come and do such-and-such a job", and it all started from there." Well, yes, it would, wouldn't it???

They seem totally unaware of their privilege in having the right contacts. Actors whose parents are in the business will say "Yes, it got doors opened for me, but then you have to prove yourself." But most people just need the door opening, and then they'd be fine - but that won't happen.

I've always worked in museums and galleries, and strange but true, jobs in these areas are much sought-after. You need work experience to get them, though, (a bit like actors and the Equity card). I know that at a very prestigious national museum, children of staff are not allowed to do work experience there, which I think is admirable. Shame the media don't work in the same way. (Before anyone says that's unfair on the kids - they are free to apply elsewhere like anyone else, just not where mum or dad works.)

Sometimes the kids are brilliant - but they still got the entree through privilege. I remember one of Benedict Cumberbatch's contemporaries at Manchester university said that, while BC was a lovely chap and very down to eartch, at their final production as drama students his parents had invited 6 theatrical agents along! Most other parents weren't in that position.

I try not to think about this kind of privilege/nepotism because it just makes me gnash my teeth. It's always been so and I just don't know how you could stop it happening - people will always find a way to push their own children.

To be fair Ronan is very good at his job! He's no talentless Beckham.

Cross post Florenz

Your DD would have options available though. If she was keen and worked her way through - ok, it might take longer to get there, but if she's 'significantly better' then why wouldn't she?

@Changerofthename1 precisely! It’s a thin line between giving a friend/relative a hand and discriminating against others. In fact, let’s not pussy foot around, if you are giving jobs (or opportunities) to friends/relatives then you ARE discriminating against others. It’s immoral and very possibly illegal. It’s defeatist to shrug and say oh well, nothing can be done. I disagree. The huge company I work for educates staff and has policies to prevent nepotism. I personally try to pass on the benefit of my experience where I can. I’ve been in to schools to talk about Oxbridge entrance, I advertise every role broadly, I share advice on internships and pragmatics like how to get there, where to live,
The Snows and Ramsay’s of this world get the gig because of their parents and because the programmes they make are often from small production companies so one step removed from the BBC. The BBC (and others) need to wake up to their responsibly to be inclusive beyond their immediate recruitment and not commission shows that arent inclusive. I hesitate to take a swipe at a young female but any parent who has sat through Tilly Ramsay’s cook show must see she has limited talent.

People are ignoring that the child of one or two people who are successful in an area (be it medicine or showbiz or whatever) are also likely to have a similar talent.

Martin the Singer and Actor + Shirley the Singer = Roman the Presenter.

Anais Gallagher is another one.

Perfectly normal looking, no way would she be a model if she wasn’t the daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews.

Mummieslncorporated · Today 08:35
Changerofthename1 · Today 08:03
The point being my DD might be significantly better than your DS we will never know because she doesn’t have an auntie in publishing.
Show quote history
Your DD would have options available though. If she was keen and worked her way through - ok, it might take longer to get there, but if she's 'significantly better' then why wouldn't she?

but why should she have to be ‘significantly better’? This is such an old line - it’s one that used to be trotted out to justify racial discrimination in the 70’s. The problem with nepotism is moral but also legal - companies employees tend to recruit in their own image. So the employee ‘just helping a relative or friend’ is likely to be helping someone exactly like themselves and perpetuating the status quo. If the company consists of white, middle class males then their network will be white middle class males and they will recruit white middle class males. they are part of the problem when they could be part of the solution. Behaviour like this needs to be recognised as what it is discrimination. Favour a relative or friend and you are discriminating against someone else. You are also missing out on accessing the full breadth of the talent pool and I’m genuinely perplexed as to why any business would want this.

Martin the Singer

But he isn't a singer, he's a bassist and was probably only in Spandau Ballet because of his older brother Gary. Shirley was basically a backing singer for Wham!

I'm dreading Chris Evans' kids (especially Noah) getting older. He was already bloody annoying when CE did the R2 breakfast show.

Alright - blimey - Martin the Popstar!

but why should she have to be ‘significantly better’? This is such an old line - it’s one that used to be trotted out to justify racial discrimination in the 70’s

I didn't say she had to be significantly better. The person I replied to suggested she might be. And if she is, then she should be able to make it happen. This isn't a conversation about sexism or racism. And, as has been pointed out, nepotism can get the door opened, but it can slam straight back shut again. If Roman Kemp wasn't any good, he wouldn't have been presenting for ten years already.

He is also a singer. He might be better known as a bass player, but he is still a singer too.

Sorry I forgot the jazz cover album that he did with Shirley.

Just mentioning that Neneh Cherry’s stepfather was also famous - the Jazz musician Don Cherry….

To pps saying that sometimes offspring of celebrity performers are actually good at the job - well, yes, maybe, but that's not the point. How to fix recruitment to make it fair? I don't know. You can't put actors/singers behind a screen for auditions, can you, or keep their names secret to the selection panel - in the world of entertainment, people would just know.

To the pp who mentioned publishing - I agree. I had a friend who started in part-works (remember those?) and moved into magazine publishing. But she told me bitterly that to get into book publishing you really needed to know someone. And she was extremely highly qualified, but hadn't got the contacts.

*Mummieslncorporated · Today 09:55
but why should she have to be ‘significantly better’? This is such an old line - it’s one that used to be trotted out to justify racial discrimination in the 70’s

I didn't say she had to be significantly better. The person I replied to suggested she might be. And if she is, then she should be able to make it happen. This isn't a conversation about sexism or racism.*

The point is that the playing field isn’t level. It is wrong that the PP’s child needs to be significantly better in order to get the same opportunity your child did. Or even to have to take a more convoluted, riskier or complex route than your child. And yes, this isn’t a conversation about race or gender, but it should be. If opportunities are kept within family and friendship groups then diversity is not fostered. Like attracts like. The link between nepotism and discrimination is inherently there. That internship that goes to a director’s son is an internship that doesn’t go to someone else - there’s a strong probability that that someone else doesn’t resemble current employees. Some professions (law, chemistry, physics) are addressing this and looking at ways to increase opportunities and offer them to the broadest base. This conversation should not be closed down by saying ‘ah well, if they were terrible the door that opened would rapidly close’. We all know that between utterly incompetent and hugely talented there is a spectrum of ability. Access to opportunity allows that ability to develop so it’s not a shocker that the door doesn’t close on individuals who arrive by way of grace and favour not relative merit. They develop and grow to a role; perhaps not as well as the more capable individual who didn’t get that chance would have.

Having a famous parent helps ,i remember when Harry Redknapp was in im a celebrity and saying his son only got where he was because of his talent and whilst thats true having Harry as his Dad would have helped get Jamie notiticed in the first place ,non of David Beckham,s sons have become foorballers ,and im sure David could have opened doors for them if they had enough talent

I guess if you have the perception that there are very limited opportunities, then nepotism is a real issue.

I've forged my path without having a family member to give me a step up. I guess I come from the viewpoint that opportunities can be created if you are determined enough.

I work for a hedge fund. The regulations have been tightened with regards to nepotistic internships, and consequently we have had interns from all walks of life, which is very refreshing, but I did note that a senior partners’ teenage son slipped through the net recently. Seems some rules still don’t apply to certain individuals 🤷🏻‍♀️

Of course having famous parents must help, but as a pp mentioned football, I always thought (maybe I'm wrong) because there is SO much money involved, that you wouldn't have a chance in that profession unless you really did have the ability.