The term, which is used to describe black, Asian and minority ethnic people, will be replaced by more ethnically-specific terms. A report from the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity said that there was a “lack of trust” around the acronym and that it had been "used to hide failings in the representation of specific ethnic groups".

       The report recommended that by getting rid of the term, broadcasters could improve their representation of ethnic minorities.

       They also suggested that more specific terms would be more inclusive of people’s different ethnic backgrounds.

       The big-name broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, all promised to adhere to the report’s findings.

       They will distance themselves from this term in broadcasts, internal and external communications.

       In a joint declaration, the broadcasters stated their unanimity on this point raised by the report.

       They said: “The move towards specificity, and away from a catch-all term, paves the way for greater acknowledgment of the unique experience of people from different ethnic backgrounds and offers insight into the issues facing specific groups.”

       The acronym may still appear in some forms, including reported speech, but will usually have an explanation as to why the catch-all descriptor is used.

       Miranda Wayland, BBC head of creative and workforce diversity and inclusion, said that the national broadcaster was committed to "ensuring that the rich and complex lived experiences of individual ethnic groups are accurately reflected and truthfully portrayed on-air and properly recognised in our workplace".

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       Zaid Al-Qassab, Channel 4's chief marketing officer and executive leader for inclusion and diversity, added: "We welcome the desire within the industry to stop using such vague terminology.

       “In consultation with members of our employee rep group, The Collective, we've followed their recommendation to use the terminology 'ethnically diverse'".

       Reacting to the broadcasters’ promises, the report’s authors issued a joint statement expressing their satisfaction with the decision.

       They said: "We are very happy that British broadcasters are taking the issue of racial language seriously and we're happy to undertake this piece of work.”

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       The report detailed that the rise of the use of the term BAME matched the advance of the Black Lives Matter movement and Covid pandemic, which exposed “ethnically-marked health and other inequalities”.

       The report added: “Interestingly, both these developments have required the need for a more nuanced and culturally astute understanding of specific ethnic demographic groups.”

       They added that it was a “catch-all term” which has now taken on “specific negative connotations”.

       It should therefore be used with “particular care.”

       They singled out reducing its appearance in reported speech, and prioritising specific terms to denote ethnicity.

       Where it must be used, they said, it would be better to use “Black, Asian and minority ethnic”.