"If you look at American television, it is nothing to see a cast that is multi-racial. So we shouldn't shy away from demanding more diversity on British TV. Only because it reflects the culture we live in," said the English actor, who also guest-starred as a no-nonsense corporate VP on the U.S. version of "The Office."

Elba, pointed to his new project, the BBC crime series "Luther," as an example of how diversity can be built into the scripts of British shows. Elba stars as a brilliant but dangerously violent London murder detective. The actor also took on associate producer duties for the project, which will premiere on BBC One this Spring.

"Diversity was one of the first things I asked about as a producer," Elba said "How many other races are we going to see? Because it would be very odd if Luther was the only black person in the series ... So we see many different ethnic groups on screen. That is important to me and one of the reasons I wanted to do it."

The BBC Worldwide is pitching the series to international buyers as akin to "Dexter" -- a dark, cutting-edge procedural with a strong psychological component.