TV Roles: Diversity in the Detail? From BBC Digital Cities

This week, the BBC hosted another Digital Cities event that included a series of masterclasses, workshops and panel sessions. Previous events are available for free on demand here. I’d encourage you to check out the virtual events they have held over the last year via the link above – they’ve done a lot of very interesting and engaging stuff!

On Wednesday 27th January they held a fascinating event entitled TV Roles: Diversity in the Detail? Hosted by TV Journalist Babita Sharma with Deborah Williams, Executive Director at Creative Diversity Network (CDN) as her guest. It was an open and honest discussion around their lived experiences of working in the broadcast industry as ethnically diverse people. Their conversation was structured around the CDN’s latest deep dive report (published in October 2020) around the race and ethnic diversity data outlined in the CDN’s Third Cut Report which was published in Spring of 2020. The Third Cut report represents data from more than 600,000 contributions by individuals working on and off-screen on qualifying television content produced for the five main Diamond broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, ITV, C5/ViacomCBS and Sky) and broadcast between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019. I should explain that the CDN exists to enable the UK Broadcasting industry to increase diversity and inspire inclusion both on and off screen. They work with their members towards a broadcasting industry with equality at its core. They also manage Diamond, the world’s first and original online diversity data collection system, for the UK television and broadcasting industry.

The deep dive report on Race and Ethnic Diversity is segmented into four parts:

On-screen vs off-screen
Genre
Senior roles
Craft and technical roles

What struck me was when Deborah shared one particular slide (see below) and her words were: “It’s sad.” Babita concurred and said, “that’s the word that leaps out to me – it’s an experience that I totally understand. I’ve been in the media for almost 20 years now. I have seen that I am one of very very few…what saddens me is there hasn’t been a massive amount of change when you’re looking at this data. Are they reflective of how far we’ve come?” Deborah’s response: “Yes unfortunately it is.” – i.e., we haven’t really come that far when it comes to increasing diversity in senior roles.

If you’ve read my #BAMEOver article, you’ll know I have decided not to use this acronym in my vocabulary any longer… for now, I’ll gloss over the fact that it has been used in this report.

There were many discussion points throughout the hour so I’m going to share in an ‘easy to digest’ manner.

How can we build structural change?

Deborah talked about the number of training courses and masterclasses that have taken place over the last year. One masterclass she had attended showed the root of the problem. It was about directing popular drama/ continuing drama where an audience member asked “how do I learn to do this, where do I train?” The session presenter (who has worked in the industry) responded with “you just learn on the job.” Deborah explained that this is the old catch 22 situation. She went on to reveal that 40 years ago she embarked on a career as an actor. However, she found she couldn’t be an actor unless she had an equity card but she couldn’t act without an equity card. What is clear to Deborah is that people at the top of the game, learnt on the job and had more opportunities.

How can we maintain momentum?

Before this discussion point it had been explained what the big broadcasters were doing (I talk about this in my previous blog post) and Deborah highlighted Sky’s most recent announcement around their new Diversity Targets. She described this as: “a real commitment around retention and progression for black people and others from an ethnically diverse background, to move on up in the organisation.”

Babita then stated that, “we need to have honest conversations about data; around how it’s collated and reported on… you look at the representation on news for example and then see the data and it does not correlate,” – meaning that the data outlines there is more representation compared to what is actually seen on screen and behind the scenes in the newsroom.

Deborah went on to explain that the Diamond data focuses on UK transmission only and that they don’t collect BBC World Service data. This is to avoid binary collection that will skew or weight the data – and this is critical – not to say it’s not needed but CDN don’t do it. Deborah goes on to say that, “Open, Transparent and Honest are the three words I work by – if you’re serious about this stuff, then you’re willing to accept to listen and work together to find solutions.” Babita added, “It’s ok to have that conversation!

Deborah also wants to see how the next Ant and Dec will be nurtured – “how are we going to make a pathway for the rough diamonds to shine through? Because if we’re not nurturing them now they won’t be able to get on camera straight away without development.” Deborah did make a point about the fact that Ant and Dec were able to easily push boundaries without anyone ‘blocking’ them; they went from being child actors, to pop stars, to kids TV presenter and then making it into prime time TV – and staying there. Babita described the experiences of others in the industry who were being ‘blocked’ by outlining the thoughts of decision makers: “We’ll put you in Countryfile and you’ll stay there.” (I knew Babita was referring to Anita Rani in this instance, although she didn’t state that’s who she was referring to – read these articles from the Guardian about Anita Rani in 2016 and again in 2019 and you’ll realise why Babita referred to this as an example).

There has to be diversity at every level

Here Deborah spoke about the fact that there is a real issue in Drama – where most of the investment goes – because there is a lack of diversity in commissioning, production and senior roles: “This allows for the perpetuation of stereotyping and ill thought out ways of representing.”

Babita spoke of her personal experiences in pitching The Corner Shop to commissioners with the conversation going like this:

Commissioner: “We’re not sure about the popularity of that subject… and even if we do it, we’re not sure about you telling it.”

Babita: “I grew up above a corner shop.”

Commissioner: “Yes but, you don’t have enough experience in the industry.”

Babita: “I’ve spent 17 years as TV journalist.”

Commissioner: “Yes but…“

Changing the story landscape… an optimistic assessment

As the event drew to a close, Babita asked Deborah whether she was optimistic for the future. Deborah said:

“I am optimistic because I’m seeing it what is possible – it is becoming wider, e.g., Bridgerton, Married at First Sight Australia etc. The more we share our stories and narratives in a public space, the easier it becomes to tell people that those stories need to be told.”

I could relate to that last sentence. Some of you may have noticed that I have been sharing a lot of my own personal story recently. I haven’t had the backlash I thought I would. If anything, it may have opened up more doors for me. It is my hope that more doors will open, not just for me, but for every person who may have had challenges ‘making it’ in the industry.

Over the course of 2020 I had read every white paper and report under the sun about diversity, equality and inclusion in the creative industries, with a particular focus on TV and Radio.

In November 2020, Ofcom (the appointed regulator of the broadcast industry), published their latest report. It made for an interesting read given everything that has happened in the last year. Here’s the lowdown from the report:

There are x3 key areas where Ofcom wants to see tangible progress during 2021

Critical Under-representation – greater progress in the representation of disabled people on all levels and a faster increase in the diversity of crucial decision-makers (senior management, as well as employees in commissioning, content and creative roles), specifically addressing the under-representation of colleagues from an African or Caribbean heritage.
Understanding class and geographic diversity – Ofcom have acknowledged that a person’s socio-economic background and where they live has a massive effect on their opportunities in broadcasting. This particular area, is something close to my heart given my own background.
Accountability – Ofcom expects broadcasters – in particular those in leadership roles – to be accountable for delivering not just diversity initiatives but real change by:

setting clear measurable workforce targets and diversity and inclusion targets, with tangible outcomes
undertaking better, more transparent, evaluation of work designed to produce change, so that efforts can be focused and results accelerated
holding production partners to account for meeting diversity requirements

Update on Progress of Protected Characteristics

The stats on the progress of each protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act are insightful. I’ll share the key ones where infographics were produced.

Disability: only 7% of TV employees and 6% of Radio employees are disabled compared with 19% of the working age population in the UK.

Ethnically Diverse Groups: Ofcom refers to this group as Minority Ethnic Groups (MEG). Since reading the #BAMEOver Statement for the UK, written by Inc Arts – details of which are in my #BAMEOver article – I will never refer to myself or any other ethnically diverse person as being within a ‘minority’. I plan to write to Ofcom to share this statement with a view that they change the language used in future reports. This group – and particularly those from an African or Caribbean heritage – are under-represented in senior management. There are 8% of those who are ethnically diverse working in senior management in TV, compared with a national workforce average of 12%. Only 1% of this group are from an African or Caribbean heritage, compared with 3% of the working population.

And below you can see a detailed breakdown of people working in the industry by ethnicity:

Gender: This focuses on the representation of women. It shows that that the proportion of women closely reflects the UK working age population (47% of which is female). However, they remain under-represented at senior levels.

It’d be good to see Ofcom obtaining stats on other genders, e.g., those who identify as being transgender or non binary etc.

Social Mobility: Last year’s report was the first time that socio-economic backgrounds/ class were reported on. The volume of data submitted was limited however, and it’s the same for this year. That said, it formally shows what was thought to be the case; that those working in TV are twice as likely to have attended private school as people in the working age population more generally and that twice as many TV workers come from ‘professional’ family backgrounds.

Data, data and more data!

I cannot stress the importance of data collection like this. The industry has to understand where they are now to then figure out how to address where we need to be. That process has to include creating a long term strategy with clear, tangible, measurable and actionable objectives. Not just with broadcasters but also with independent production companies. I would caveat this by stating that indies need the support of the big broadcasters generally and more specifically by the commissioners. Because once a commission is green-lit, it’s all systems go and productions simply do not have the time or resources needed to nurture diverse talent. That’s why in the past, they’ve generally picked up the phone to people they know, and the people they know look like them and that generally tends to be people of European ancestral heritage. I know it’s easier said than done when the deadlines loom and the pressure increases to deliver a production in a really short space of time. The whole process needs time, money and most of all commitment to ‘do the right thing’. However, things are changing for the better, or at least there has been some momentum. There is a lot to do but the intention for change is there like never before.

What are the broadcasters doing?

Channel 4 announced Babita Bahal as Head of Creative Diversity in November 2019. She started her role in early 2020 having previously been the Diversity and Inclusion Lead for BBC Content. Channel 4 have shown great commitment to the diversity cause by opening new Headquarters in Leeds and also opening Creative Hubs in Glasgow and Bristol. They have also set a target of having 50% of its production spend in the Nations and Regions by 2023. In the summer of 2020, they announced the launch of their Indie Accelerator in a two year partnership with The TV Collective. This will focus on matching commissioning heads of department for unscripted genres with independent production companies led by ethnically diverse people. They have also launched The Black Takeover – an ambitious day of programming for Autumn 2021 which will see Channel 4’s entire programming schedule fronted by Black talent as part of the Channel’s ongoing commitment to improve Black representation both on and off screen. And applications are open right now until 29th January 2021 for their Production Training Scheme, with opportunities available right across the UK in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff, North Wales and Glasgow.

ITV also launched their Diversity Acceleration Plan in the summer of 2020. This includes an initiative called ITV Step Up 60, designed to increase Diversity at senior levels of decision making in TV production, both within ITV Studios and independent producers. The ITV apprenticeship programme also has a remit to attract diverse talent. In the summer they announced the appointment of Ade Rawcliffe as Group Director of Diversity and Inclusion. Just before this they had appointed Nana Hughes as Head of Scripted Comedy. You can find out a little more about Nana in this Facebook Video where she talks about what she is looking to commission. She is joined by BBC 3 Comedy Commissioner, Sarah Asante.

The BBC appointed June Sarpong as Director of Creative Diversity, also in November 2019. It’s clear that through her leadership, many great events and initiatives have been delivered under the BBC Creative Diversity banner. She also led the creation of a Blueprint for Belonging which has received much praise in the industry. In December 2020, the BBC announced their Creative Diversity Plan to accelerate diverse representation on and off screen. Click here to find out more. On the BBC Creative Diversity page (link above) June shares a story about a nineteenth century abolitionist, Frederick Douglass – he was a man of African heritage who challenged the status quo. A former slave, he rose to be a trusted advisor to the US president Abraham Lincoln. Douglass argued that art and imagery provided a mechanism for societal self-refection, critique and progress. Through this story, June has reiterated the importance of diversity in the broadcast industry in such a poignant way.

If like me, you love reading a report, because I mean, who doesn’t?! 🤪😅 …then you can read the Ofcom Report in full here.

Tag: ethnically diverse talent

TV Roles: Diversity in the Detail? From BBC Digital Cities

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