Breaking news from the increasingly tedious ‘war on woke’ – apparently we are fast approaching the point where “white, heterosexual men” will no longer be seen presenting on our TV screens.

This banality, which can be heard emerging from the mouths of any number of pub bores nationwide, has been uttered by a chap called James Jordan, who, a brief internet search reveals, starred in a televised dancing contest more than a decade ago.

James, who lives in Sevenoaks with his wife and fellow dancer Ola, claims to be fearful TV execs are “trying to tick boxes all the time” in a bid for diversity which could soon see us chaps sidelined entirely.

His off-the-shelf opinions emerged after he was reportedly asked who should replace Phillip Schofield as a host of ITV’s Dancing On Ice, an issue of such great import that I can imagine he’s having to fend off the attention of media outlets both at home and abroad.

Having never seen Dancing On Ice, and therefore being unaware who hosted the show in the first place, we can leave that particular debate to one side. But – as a straight, white, soon to be middle-aged man – am I fearful for the career prospects of our section of society, which faces so much discrimination, day in and day out?

Am I ‘eck. The idea that we are somehow being erased from popular culture and our TV screens is for the birds. And perhaps the reason everyone suddenly notices when a woman, someone from the LGBTQ+ community, or a person of colour gets the gig is because the straight, white male is still overwhelmingly the default.

Our box has been ticked for decades. For a long time it was the only box. And now it’s about time a few other boxes get ticked too. Good. Everyone in this country deserves to share a culture which reflects back to them the diversity of our society.

As a man of quite average talents and middling ambition, I’m happy to recognise that for far too long my ilk have managed to rise with far less effort than that required of others from backgrounds traditionally excluded and discriminated against.

Whenever I hear a fellow straight, white man bemoaning the elevation of others, what I really hear is someone fearful that perhaps the work might start to dry up.

Time to up our game, lads.