The Countryfile presenter Anita Rani has accused TV executives of giving “posh white men” a free pass to make documentaries about trains in India while requiring her to justify why she should present anything not obviously Asian.

Rani, born in Bradford to Indian parents, said the BBC would not allow her to follow up her successful BBC Two documentary about Bollywood with another about Hollywood, asking her: “Why you, Anita?”

She said she had to make a special case to move to Radio 5 Live from the BBC’s Asian Network, telling the latter’s then controller, Bob Shennan: “I want to leave and if you rate me as a broadcaster I want to work on 5 Live.”

She said: “He did, he gave me a job on 5 Live, but I had to jump up and down to get it. To an extent we all have to speak up about what we want. But what I want isn’t always what is wanted of me.”

Opening Channel 4’s diversity festival in Bradford on Monday, Rani said: “I feel I have to justify why I should present things more than anyone else because I’m an Asian woman, and on top of that I’m blimmin’ northern.

“I’m expected to explain why I should be presenting something much more than others. You would never think to ask the number of posh white men on TV: ‘Why did you get to present shows about train travel in India?’ or whatever it might be because, you know what, they are the default. They don’t need to worry about authenticity or what space they are taking up. I do, all the time.”

Rani called for more diversity behind the camera, saying she was the “only brown face” among the whole crew making the Bollywood programme for BBC Two last year. “Walking into the production office to meet the entire team, guess what, I was the only brown face in the team.

“I know that everyone else in that room knew fuck all about Bollywood but were employed because they are damned good at what they do … however, it was a missed opportunity to give someone an opportunity.”

She said she had gone to the BBC with a proposal for a sequel investigating “the obvious follow-up”, Hollywood, but was turned down by executives. “The question that came back was: why you, Anita? Why you indeed?”

They could not see her presenting a show on that topic, she said. “Of course they could understand me making a programme about Bollywood, but Hollywood? What has it got to do with you?”

She added: “I shouldn’t need a reason to present a programme about Hollywood.”

Rani said she had once been asked by a journalist “why it was good for Asian Britain” that she presented Countryfile. “And I said it was more important for the rest of Britain that I was on Countryfile. I feel it is incumbent on us as an industry to diversify. We live in times when populism is on the rise, when hate crimes are on the up and a man who described women in burkas as letterboxes might be the next prime minister.”

Rani continued: “While I’m fiercely proud of my Indian heritage, my ethnicity doesn’t always define my work choices. So when young people see me on something, whether telling their story or not, I am representing them. But the journey to be accepted by middle England on primetime TV has not been easy or straightforward.”

The presenter said she decided she wanted to be on TV after watching Bhaji on the Beach, written by Gurinder Chadha and Meera Syal and made by Film4 in 1994. “I saw it and thought: holy shit, I could do that. I could tell stories that reflect who I am.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “We’re proud that Anita presents some of our most popular programmes including BBC One’s War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita, Countryfile and The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts on BBC Two as well as the BBC’s recent coverage of the Royal Wedding. We have a wider variety of presenters and programmes than any other broadcaster, and a range of initiatives to increase diversity on and off air.”