Some of the cast of Made In Chelsea have allegedly been overheard ‘sighing’ about ‘casting non-white friends’ in the show, amid the arrival of Akin Solanke-Caulker as the first black star of the E4 series next month.

Akin’s casting was announced recently, with the star telling The Sun: “It’s definitely overdue, they need a black person on the show; my mum keeps saying I’m representing.

“I’m not just representing myself but I’m representing other people that look like me, not just the racial side of things but also people who are from where I am from.”

A spokeswoman added: “Made in Chelsea follows the relationships of a genuine group of friends and we are delighted that Akin, who is a close school friend of Alex, has joined the show.”

However, allegations of cast complaints have now emerged, withajournalist from The Observerwriting about overhearing their conversation whilstspeaking to Gemma Arterton for a profile about the actress.

Discussing their location at the time of their chat, Eva Wiseman wrote: “The waiter needs the table back – we’ve run over time – so we find ourselves on armchairs next to half the cast of Made in Chelsea.

"In a quiet moment I hear them sighing about having been asked to cast some ‘non-white friends’. Arterton widens her eyes at me with an OMG mouth, and moves her chair for a better look. She sits back, giggling.”

It has not been said exactly which members are being accused of complaining, and the show declined to comment when asked by Digital Spy.