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The sound of the keyboard typing away is all too familiar with me. The sound is almost subconscious at this point. Not in a fever dream sort of way, but more of a hot nostalgia. My point is that I'm so used to this sound because I'm always on my macbook or gaming laptop typing away at high speeds.

When I think about this sound, I mostly imagine an author writing a book or, more so, a screenwriter writing a screenplay. As a film student, I have had my fair share of screenplays so no doubt I understand the process of writing a script (whether good or bad).

For the first 10 years of my life I mostly watched British TV and Films which meant that I only consumed a small range of opinions or voices as it was the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 that i mainly watched.

It was only until I was older that i started to broaden my horizons and understand/learn about different voices and people of different backgrounds.

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My mother is an Immigrant.

Obviously I didn't mean that in a harsh way.

She is Peruvian and she (rather reluctantly) moved to London, 31 years ago. This was just after she and my (very) English father fell in love and married. But thats another story.

I was raised with both Peruvian and, of course, British cultures. However I mainly consumed British media when I was growing up.

When I asked her what she thought of British TV and Films, she stated;
"It's very funny and theres lots of very good drama tv shows, like police detective ones. But I don't like how they don't have any British-Latin-American actors or writers making films and TV."

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It was interesting to me because my mother has a point. There doesn't seem to be any Latin American representation in British TV/Films.

You may say that there aren't that many Latin American people in the UK. However it is the UK's second fastest growing non-EU migrant population, currently estimating over 250,000 Latin Americans living in the UK.

It seems like they have a small community that isn't heard in mainstream British TV/Film and so i decided to explore this further.

What other groups of people have been under-represented?

In my opinion, all voices must be heard for the mainstream media to represent the nations demographics. This doesn't only have to be about race, it can also be sexuality, gender and even disabled people.

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Over fuzzy shots of South London terraces, tower blocks and high streets, several teenagers explain the cases of mistaken identity they confront on a daily basis. Moroccan, Asian, Turkish, Indian; you don't look Cuban, you look Mexican. "I know where I'm from," counters one. "And I'll tell you that."

The newly released documentary More than Other profiles what it calls the largest ever generation of British-born Latin Americans. They form one of the country's fastest-growing ethnic groups, but are rendered "invisible" by official policies and a near-total absence of media portrayals, says Canadian-Brazilian filmmaker Romano Pizzichini. Over chicken soup in an Ecuadorian restaurant in the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, Pizzichini explains how the local Latin community made him feel "very much at home" when he arrived in London as a student. But British colleagues have told him that they have never met any Latin Americans. "What about the guy who comes in and says hello to you and cleans your desk every night? They're all Latin American, I can probably guarantee you that."

The UK is now home to around 250,000 people of Latin American origin - born or with ancestry in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries of the Americas. Roughly half live in London, where they form the eighth-largest ethnic community. Nationally, they are already comparable in size to the British Asian population in 1991. Fleeting connections between Britain and Latin America go back a long way: statues and plaques around Marylebone, Belgravia and Richmond mark where historical figures like Simón Bolívar plotted South American independence. Last year, a Chilean student discovered a mural on the walls of Leeds University Union, painted in 1976 by some of the 3,000 exiles from the Pinochet regime granted asylum by the UK.

But the vast majority of Britain's contemporary Latin American population - in large part made up of migrants from Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador, and refugees from Colombia's civil war - only arrived in the 1990s and early 2000s, making them and their children comparative newcomers. The resulting uncertainty and unfamiliarity is both a source of challenge and heady sense of possibility. "Everything's so new with Latin Americans here. It's the first generation growing up here that's going to set the roots for the culture. They're doing it from scratch," says Pizzichini, whose 16mm short was backed by Brazilian production house Capuri after potential UK funders fell through. "It's a shifting landscape. I wanted to document this very precise moment in time."

Culturally speaking, 2019 has felt like a watershed moment for British Latin Americans. The inaugural Festival of Latin American Women's Art (FLAWA) in May brought together 68 artists in venues across London for discussions and performances, including Expresión Inca, a British-Andean dance group, and the subversive, clownish comedian Andrea Spisto, a Venezuelan-Londoner. Stubborn Archivist, the debut novel of British-Brazilian writer Yara Rodrigues Fowler, has been widely praised since its publication in July for distilling the British-Latin American experience of navigating multiple languages, countries and identities. The first major anthology of British-Latin American writers, poets and playwrights, Un Nuevo Sol, was published this December. Meanwhile, the Colombia-born, Tottenham-based artist Oscar Murillo was one of the four nominees to insist on jointly accepting the Turner Prize - a gesture of unity that the four winners described as a protest against "the Conservatives' hostile environment that has paradoxically made each of us and many of our friends and family again increasingly unwelcome in Britain."

Yet although British Latin Americans are increasingly visible in the arts, their political representation still lags behind. Perhaps most strikingly, Latin American ethnicity is not recognised as a distinct category on the national census or other official forms. This makes it hard to even know for certain how many Latin Americans there are in the UK, Krishmary Ramdhun, a co-founder of the campaign group LatinXcluded, featured in Pizzichini's documentary, tells me when we meet in a café in Clapham, South London.

This huge data gap means national and local authorities struggle to target or even understand the need for culturally-specific healthcare and community services, including those for domestic abuse survivors and recent migrants, which are still largely provided by charities like Latin American Women's Aid. The experience of not seeing oneself represented on a form - and instead having to tick the "Other" box - can have a profound personal impact. "You feel like you don't belong in society," says Ramdhun. For outsiders, it may seem like a "miniscule thing," notes British-Chilean illustrator Javie Huxley. "But there's a dehumanising effect when you're not able to see yourself in the census. I can't speak for everyone, but I used to feel really frustrated and ashamed," she adds. "It has a really negative effect on your self-esteem."

Ramdhun, who moved to the UK from Caracas aged ten with her Venezuelan mother and Mauritian father, started LatinXcluded in August last year with her fellow sixth-formers Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton, a Cuban-Briton, and Zharinck Lopez, whose family came to Britain from Colombia six years ago. The three students - now each studying or with a place at university - called the admissions service UCAS to report the absence of a Latin American category for applicants. They were told to just tick "Other" or not identify their heritage at all. "We just found it really weird that people don't care, that they encourage you not to care about your ethnicity," says Ramdhun.

This, she adds, is just one of many indignities that British Latin Americans experience. When her family arrived in Clapham nearly a decade ago, it was home to hardly any Latin American families. Teachers told Ramdhun to mix with Portuguese-speaking children. Later, they tried to discourage her from taking English Literature at A-Level instead of taking Spanish, her first language. And despite years of British schooling, she had to sit the rudimentary "Life in the UK" test as part of her recent citizenship application. "Like, how is it that I still have to do this and answer questions about Henry the Eighth?", she asks.

***

Many young Latin Americans living in the UK who are eligible for citizenship are deterred by Home Office fees of £1,012 per child, over ten times more expensive than in other European nations. And this socio-political invisibility, some suggest, underlies existential threats to London's two major Latin American hubs. "Latin Americans aren't properly recognised in this country," says Huxley, who is a trustee of the Save Latin Village campaign. "I feel like if we were, this perhaps wouldn't have happened for so long."

We're sat inside the Seven Sisters Indoor Market in Haringey, north London. Commonly known as the Latin Village or Pueblito Paisa, at least half of its 60 small shops, cafés and businesses belong to owners of Latin American or Hispanic origin. The warren-like building is a source of empanadas, arepas and hearty plates of Colombian beans, pork, rice and plantain - but it also helps recent migrants get their bearings. Noticeboards hold handwritten adverts for jobs, rooms for rent, legal advice and language classes, and it provides a vital community space for the area's Latin and working-class population. It also offers an invaluable link to a far-away continent, says Huxley, who grew up in rural Suffolk feeling distant from both her Chilean heritage and her adoptive country.

"This is the only place in my life where I've been able to come and reconnect to my roots at a pace that suits me," she explains. "The importance this place has for first- and second-generation immigrants from South America is absolutely huge." The market also houses traders from Uganda, Romania and beyond, forming a "100 percent BAME migrant community" whose earnings circulate in the local neighbourhood rather than being siphoned off by short-lived high-street chains, Huxley adds.

But as part of local regeneration plans dating back to 2004, Haringey's council has agreed to allow property developer Grainger to tear down the Latin Village, which has existed for nearly 50 years, and replace it with 196 flats - none of which will be available at affordable rates - and a far smaller retail space, with a temporary market over the road made available in the interim. While some traders support the plan, and others point to the cost of cancelling the agreement with Grainger, critics liken the proposals to demolishing Chinatown. Campaigners have fought a council-requested Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) but lost an appeal in the High Court this October. Some business-owners say they have suffered abuse and arbitrary rent hikes in an attempt to break their resolve.

The experience is traumatic for Vicky Alvarez, one of the market's most outspoken defenders, who runs a beauty salon and currency exchange. She fled Colombia two decades ago after her father was murdered, but now feels victimised all over again. "All these ghosts come out at night. I have nightmares and panic attacks," she says. "I was forced to get a second job to be able to fight this stupid, crazy social cleansing. What else can I do? I feel the Latin American community is such an invisible one, and we are such a hardworking people. This is just the right thing to do."

Save Latin Village has secured the backing of UN human rights experts and Oscar Murillo, whose studio is nearby. The campaigners have organised noisy demonstrations outside the High Court, held colourful fundraisers with children smashing piñatas labelled "gentrification," and worked with architects to develop an alternative vision for the village, the Wards Corner Community Plan. They are still hopeful that legal and public pressure can turn the tide. "Maybe because Latin Americans are so underrepresented, [Haringey council] thought that this would be a quiet decision, but actually communities have fought back with force," says Huxley. The newfound sense of solidarity, she adds, "is something that makes it all worth it."

Traders in Elephant and Castle, an even larger Latin American cultural and commercial hub, have undergone a similar experience. Controversial plans to demolish and redevelop the 1960s shopping centre by housing developer Delancey were approved last December, with the results of judicial review this October still pending. But tenacious campaigning by traders and residents has already won several important concessions, including a larger relocation fund, an extended rent cap, a traders' panel, first choice of units and 116 social rented homes, up from zero originally.

Both campaigns have helped the Latin Village and the Shopping Centre become more visible and strengthen networks within the community and beyond, said Patria Roman-Velazquez, a professor at Loughborough University and founder of the Latin Elephant charity. "The Latin American community is asserting the right to the city, saying that we belong here, we're here and we're here to stay," she added.

***

LatinXcluded have also scored some early wins. Lambeth Council, whose borough encompasses major Latin American communities in Brixton, Clapham and Vauxhall, has agreed to include a Latin American category on all its forms - for example, those surveying patients in local hospitals or the performance of students in the borough's schools. The trio met with the Office of National Statistics earlier this year, and hope that the next ten-year national census in March 2021 seizes the opportunity to do the same. Kings College London and The Centre for Education and Youth launched a report last month launched a report last month alongside LatinXcluded detailing how the government and universities can better support young people of Latin American heritage. Nevertheless, most emphasise that Britain's burgeoning Latin American community is far from monolithic, nor is it in complete agreement on several issues.

The most obvious question is what to call itself. Latinx avoids the binary, gendered connotations of Latino - a problem not shared by descriptors like African or Asian - but some find the term confusing, Ramdhun explains. Others warn about erasing national and ethnic differences under an umbrella term like Latin American, which itself has a complicated history. In the US, notes Pizzichini, the centuries-old Latino population tends to identify in more specific terms: Salvadoran-American, Afro-Colombian, indigenous Maya, or Chicano (Mexican-American) for example. "It feels that over here, because everybody needs that recognition," he adds, "they need to pull together first."

"One thing for sure is that not all Latin Americans are the same. There's more to us than just being 'other' in the tickbox," narrates Dylan Bedoya, one of the film's subjects. British Latin Americans have a complicated joint heritage to live up to, he adds. "It's our job to create something to look forward to, something new."

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Latin Americans are one of the UK's fastest-growing groups. So why aren't they recognised?

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Over fuzzy shots of South London terraces, tower blocks and high streets, several teenagers explain the cases of mistaken identity they confront on a daily basis. Moroccan, Asian, Turkish, Indian; you don't look Cuban, you look Mexican. "I know where I'm from," counters one. "And I'll tell you that."

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So, how bad is under-representation of minority groups in British TV/Film?

Well, according to a study conducted by the UK's Creative Diversity Network (CDN) we found that 1.6% of writers working in UK TV identify as black, while 2.4% of production executives identify as BAME (meaning Black, Asian and minority ethnic).

The study also found that there were not enough BAME creatives in key behind-the-scenes roles in the UK. BAME representation among writers and directors stands at 9.1% and 8.6% which is  below the amount of ethnic minority citizens in UK which i over 13%.

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Fewer than 2% of writers working in British TV identify as black, according to a major survey of industry diversity that also revealed a dearth of senior positions for people of colour.

The Creative Diversity Network's (CDN) survey of 30,000 respondents shows that within the world of British TV people of colour are still vastly underrepresented in decision-making roles and in key creative positions - such as writing rooms.

The research found 1.6% of writers working in UK TV identify as black, while 2.4% of production executives and 4.4% of series producers identify as black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME).

Despite the success of shows such as Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You and Steve McQueen's forthcoming BBC anthology Small Axe, the survey paints a picture of a sector that is struggling with diversity both in front of and behind the camera.

Deborah Williams, CDN's executive director, said three key things needed to change before UK TV becomes more equal: more diverse people need to be in decision-making roles, diverse talent needs to be able to move between roles more easily - for example, from a playwright to a TV writer - and talent must be able to write about more than just race.

"It will always be about who makes the decisions and what people think of as quality," she said. "If you don't write about Windrush or slavery or police brutality or gangs, then you're telling black stories that are not considered to be authentic."

Another major area of concern for Williams are "craft" roles, such as lighting and set design, where there were so few contributions being made by people of colour that CDN was unable to publish data on them. Williams said nepotism and a lack of open and transparent recruiting was hampering diverse candidates from being considered for those roles.

The CDN survey, which is compiled from data gathered by all the major TV channels in the UK, showed that since 2017 total on-screen contributions from people of colour have increased from 21.8% to 22.7%. But Williams said that was a simple thing to change for TV makers, and that sustained change would be harder.

She said: "You can fix that problem really easily by finding lots of black and brown people to put on your screen. But where's the depth in that? How do you make sure that it continues? Where does that go?"

The survey also found that diverse on-screen talent was still unlikely to be working with BAME directors, even though in the past three years there has been an increase from 9.7% to 12.3% in off-screen contributions.

British television has reacted to the Black Lives Matter movement by rolling out a series of initiatives. In June, the BBC announced it would spend at least £30m of its annual television commissioning budget on "diverse and inclusive content", while ITV hired Ade Rawcliffe as its group director of diversity and inclusion.

In August, David Olusoga used his MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV festival to give an account of his time in an industry that was "still blind to the realities of racism". Williams said BLM and other interventions had begun to slowly change attitudes within the industry.

"I think it's as bad as it's ever been," she said. "But everyone's now talking about it, which is the difference. People are acknowledging it and talking about it and there is less resistance when people try to find solutions."

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Fewer than 2% of writers in British TV are black, survey finds

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Fewer than 2% of writers working in British TV identify as black, according to a major survey of industry diversity that also revealed a dearth of senior positions for people of colour.

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As of 2017;
White ethnic = 86%
Minority ethnic = 14%

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In 2017, the UK Prime Minister commissioned a Race Disparity Audit with results published on the Ethnicity Facts & Figures website: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk
In 2018 about 13.8% of the UK population was from a minority ethnic background with London having 40% of its population from the Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. A ccording to the 2011 Census, the total population of England and Wales was 56.1 million:
86.0% of the population is White
7.5% of the population is made up Asian ethnic groups 3.3% of the population is made of Black ethnic groups 2.2% of the population is made up of Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups 1.0% of the population is made up of Other ethnic groups

The Asian ethnic group population of 4,213,531 (7.5%) is broken down as follows:

Indian - 1,412,958 (2.5%); Pakistani - 1,124,511 (2.0%) Asian other - 835,720 (1.5%)Bangladeshi - 447,201 (0.8%)
Chinese - 393,141 (0.7%)

The Black ethnic group population 1,864,890 (3.3%) is broken down as follows:

Black African - 989,628 (1.8%)Black Caribbean - 594,825 (1.1%)

Black other - 280,437 (0.5%)
Diversity in the UK: BAME individuals in politics & local government
The Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups population of 1,224,400 (2.2%) is broken down as follows:

Mixed White/Asian - 341,727 (0.6%)Mixed White/Black Caribbean - 426,715 (0.8%)Mixed White/Black African - 165,974 (0.3%)

Mixed other - 289,984 (0.5%)

8% of MPs are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic ( as of 1st May 2019 )

5.8% of Members of the House of Lords are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic ( as of 1st May 2019 )

14% of local councillors are BAME; 1,235 out of 7,306 Councillors in 123 local authorities in England ( according to the OBV BAME Local Political Representation Audit 2019 )

28% of the Members of the London Assembly are BAME

Click here to read more about Diversity UK.

* Information based on published reports and ONS statistics where available.

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In 2017, the UK Prime Minister commissioned a Race Disparity Audit with results published on the Ethnicity Facts & Figures website: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk In 2018 about 13.8% of the UK population was from a minority ethnic background with London having 40% of its population from the Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) background.

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Why should mainstream media reflect demographics?

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Why should mainstream media reflect demographics?

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In an ideal world, a nations media should reflect that nations demographics.

We now know that the UK's TV/Film industry is under-representing writers and directors from minority groups.

Lets think about this. If minority groups were well- in media and if more people of minority groups were in positions of power, this might influence younger generations to ultimately have careers in that industry. This is because they can see successful people that look and talk like them excelling in the British creative media industry.

Also, having accurate representation and diversity helps audiences understand the world in a different way and for the average person to understand stories from more than just one culture/voice.

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British TV broadcasters needs to do more. 

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British TV broadcasters needs to do more. 

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While speaking at the Royal Television Society conference held in Cambridge in September 2019, Sir Lenny Henry was calling on the British TV industry to improve diversity. He stated how slowly the representation for BAME people has been on-screen and behind the camera in the UK.

He also stated that by comparison, some of the new  US streaming services (most noticeably Netflix) offer more diverse programming.

Henry continues; "If diversity makes better TV, which I 100% believe, is it any wonder that UK television is falling behind? People are deserting us for Netflix and streaming services, especially diverse audiences."

Ofcom’s annual figures on diversity in the UK-based TV industry show 13% of staff at five major organisations – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5-owner ViacomCBS and Sky – come from BAME backgrounds. That is roughly in line with the UK’s working population of 12%.

However, as the regulator pointed out, it is "far beneath" the levels seen in London, the home of all the big broadcasters.

What’s more, Ofcom was "disappointed" that BAME representation at senior levels at the five major TV organisations was just 9%.

Worse, the proportion of minority ethnic talent working in creative and content production – a crucial area when it comes to shaping on-screen output – fell from 9% to 8% across the wider UK-based TV industry last year.

BAME characters are "overrepresented on-screen", including 36.7% in children’s programming and 25.9% in drama. However, BAME people are "underrepresented off-screen" as they make up about 8% of those working in important genres such as drama and factual.

Vicki Cook (from Ofcom) says: "Much more needs to be done [by broadcasters] to retain, train and progress the careers of ethnic minority employees."

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The whitest thing" in Netflix's Narcos is "the cocaine", Sir Lenny Henry joked when the actor and comedian gave a speech about diversity to the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge last September.

Henry, who has been calling on the British TV industry to improve diversity for more than a decade, was making a serious point.

The pace of change has been "glacial" when it comes to improving representation of black, Asian and other minority ethnic people on-screen and behind the camera in the UK, he told the audience of media bigwigs.

By comparison, some of the new breed of US streaming services offer more diverse programming, Henry suggested.

"If diversity makes better TV, which I 100% believe, is it any wonder that UK television is falling behind? People are deserting us for Netflix and streaming services, especially diverse audiences," he said.

Karen Blackett, UK country manager of WPP, who took part in a Q&A session with Henry at
the RTS conference, has commissioned research from Kantar that appears to support some of Henry's claims.

The Kantar/WPP research examined Twitter activity in the US and UK and found "entertainment preferences amongst the black community differ from the general population in both markets".

There is "more mainstream consumption" of TV by US black audiences compared with "more niche consumption" by UK black audiences, according to the research.

That suggests there is a "wider selection" across TV and film genres for black audiences in the US and "fewer dedicated options" in the UK.

The findings might only be "a snapshot", as Kantar and WPP put it, but they offer an alarming picture at a time when there are mounting fears that the UK's public service broadcasters (PSBs) are losing relevance, particularly among young and more diverse audiences.

Don't Hate the Playaz (ITV Pictures)

The future of the BBC licence fee is high on prime minister Boris Johnson's agenda, the march of the US streamers is intensifying, as Disney+ prepares to launch in the UK, and Ofcom has warned it is "worried" about the outlook for PSBs in the face of online competition.

It is not just a concern for consumers and regulators. Shareholders and advertisers will worry if broadcasters fail to serve key audiences, particularly when more than 40% of London's population is from a BAME background, according to UK census data.

So how much does British TV lack diversity and what might speed up change?

Campaign looks at BAME representation on-screen and behind the camera, how the UK compares with the US, and where more progress needs to be made.

Off-screen talent lags on-screen

Everyone involved in the diversity debate agrees that data is vital. "When we first began reporting on the diversity of the UK-based TV industry, we were clear that broadcasters could not begin to fix a problem they didn't fully understand," Vicki Cook, director of content and media policy at Ofcom, who leads the regulator's diversity-related programme of work, says.

Ofcom's annual figures on diversity in the UK-based TV industry show 13% of staff at five major organisations - the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5-owner ViacomCBS and Sky - come from BAME backgrounds. That is roughly in line with the UK's working population of 12%.

However, as the regulator pointed out, it is "far beneath" the levels seen in London, the home of all the big broadcasters.

What's more, Ofcom was "disappointed" that BAME representation at senior levels at the five major TV organisations was just 9%.

Worse, the proportion of minority ethnic talent working in creative and content production - a crucial area when it comes to shaping on-screen output - fell from 9% to 8% across the wider UK-based TV industry last year.

Top Boy (Netflix)

There are also variations within the BAME demographic - for example, people from an Asian background are better represented in the TV industry compared with those from black African, Caribbean and black British backgrounds.

Even calculating the numbers is fraught with problems because data collection is patchy.

Ofcom only has the power to demand information about staff and does not have data on freelancers - a major issue when so much TV work is project-based.

The Creative Diversity Network, an independent organisation that is funded by all the major broadcasters, provides broader estimates in its Diamond reports, although its data is also far from comprehensive.

BAME characters are "overrepresented on-screen", including 36.7% in children's programming and 25.9% in drama, according to Diamond. However, BAME people are "underrepresented off-screen" as they make up about 8% of those working in important genres such as drama and factual ( see table below).

Cook says: "Much more needs to be done [by broadcasters] to retain, train and progress the careers of ethnic minority employees."

Change needs to happen at every level, particularly at the top. "Change who makes the decisions, and that means you can make changes to what's on screen," Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, says. "What you really need to do is to bring in senior people. That unlocks everything," she adds, pointing to three key areas: on-screen, inside Channel 4 and the supply chain.

Man Like Mobeen (Tiger Aspect/paul Husband)

Faster change needs a new approach

There is evidence of growing BAME representation on-screen in British shows such as Informer (BBC One), Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three), Don't Hate the Playaz (ITV2), Top Boy (originally on Channel 4 and now on Netflix), Chewing Gum (E4), The Big Narstie Show (Channel 4) and Idris Elba's In the Long Run (Sky).

"In terms of race, it would be churlish not to say there has been an improvement - in some areas, it has been quite a significant improvement in terms of black and brown faces on-screen," according to Pat Younge, managing director of production company Sugar Films, who was previously one of the most senior black executives at the BBC.

However, "that doesn't mean there has been a significant improvement in the stories that people are telling", Younge continues. "Fundamentally, most of the stories haven't changed. You'll see these occasional tentpoles - the BBC is doing a big [forthcoming] piece with Steve McQueen and a series with Michaela Coel. But there hasn't been a systematic change on broadcast television in terms of, 'Whose stories are you telling?' and 'Who is telling them?'"

Younge believes speeding up change requires a new approach. "I've worked in TV for 30 years and I've met very few people who are racist. There's a very liberal, anti-racist mindset," he says. "But there is a groupthink in our industry. People at the top - the commissioning class - tend to all go to the same colleges, all read the same books, all go to the same plays, all watch the same things in the cinema."

He says "it is a real challenge" to find commissioners and broadcasters who are "sufficiently open-minded" and willing to "give up some control". They need to trust programme-makers to produce something different that "they may not fully understand" because it is outside their cultural comfort zone, he adds.

Chewing Gum (Netflix)

Henry has suggested several ideas, including ring-fenced funding and tax breaks, to support BAME programming. Better training is not enough, he argues. The PSBs' investment in the nations and regions outside London has shown that ring-fencing cash for specific programming can produce results.

And there could be "repercussions", as Blackett put it at the RTS, if broadcast organisations fail to meet such targets - just as there would be if an ad agency chief executive missed revenue and profit targets.

"I don't see that you'll get any substantial change until you ring-fence funds," Younge, who moved Sugar Films from London to Wales to capitalise on regional investment, says, adding: "Policy drives behaviour."

One commissioner acknowledges the logic of that argument but adds a note of caution: "I fear if we ring-fence a pot of money, BAME shows might never get out of that ring-fenced pot."

The way into the mainstream

Audio-video entertainment is changing radically because social media has "democratised" access and led to an explosion in short-form content.

Jamal Edwards, founder of SBTV, an online urban music channel, which he started on YouTube, says: "It's true that new technology has allowed many creators, including myself, to be less reliant on the traditional routes but our feeling is we should always pursue all outlets [including the established broadcasters]."

Edwards set up SBTV in 2006 because "mainstream media wasn't supporting the artists I was listening to" but now this genre of British urban music is attracting much bigger audiences. He points to talent such as Rapman whose YouTube series, Shiro's Story, led to a cinema release, Blue Story, which was backed by BBC Films and Viacom's Paramount Pictures.

He also praises ITV2's music quiz show, Don't Hate the Playaz, which has featured an all-BAME cast, as another example of progress on-screen (although he hates using "BAME" as a word). Such a diverse line-up "makes a massive difference", Edwards says, adding with approval, "that's the first time I've ever seen that" on a mainstream, British show.

In the Long Run (Sky)

Still, online creators can struggle to persuade a big broadcaster to back them because of fears about a lack of mainstream TV credentials when it comes to making long-form content. "Good ideas but you might not be able to deliver" is a "big stumbling-block", according to Edwards.

He suggests that a co-production between a BAME-led production company and a more established TV production outfit might be the way forward. Then, greater experience would allow BAME talent to take more control behind the camera, he says, citing Top Boy as an example where the production team has hired a more diverse crew as the show has been recommissioned and gained momentum.

Are US broadcasters and streamers serving BAME audiences better?

Some people working in British broadcasting have developed an inferiority complex because of the rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services, and the WPP/Kantar research shows the US TV and film industries offer more range and depth for BAME audiences, in particular.

However, the US has a 330 million population that is five times larger than the UK, with a far greater proportion from ethnic minorities - about 40% compared with about 15% in the UK.

Younge, who has worked in the US, does not think established US broadcasters have improved their output for BAME audiences significantly in the past decade but Netflix and the streamers are another matter as they are increasingly global, which makes it easier to serve defined audiences.

"I can't work out if Netflix looks blacker to me because the algorithm is promoting all of its diverse stuff or whether Netflix is actually blacker," Younge says. "It certainly gives the impression that it is blacker because the algorithm, having cracked my interests, is going to serve more of that [diverse] stuff to me and less of the other stuff."

British TV may lack the breadth of BAME content that the US produces but Edwards thinks that is, in part, because "the Americans have been doing it for a lot longer" and created more "hero moments" with shows such as Power, She's Gotta Have It and The Black Godfather. By comparison, the UK is only "beginning" to produce its own hits such as Top Boy and Chewing Gum, he says.

The Big Narstie Show (Channel 4)

Industry leaders with knowledge of the global TV market argue that the UK deserves some credit. "Looking across the 180 markets in which Viacom operates, I can tell you that when it comes to using data to advance critical aspects of diversity and inclusion, the UK is leading the way," Marva Smalls, the US-based global head of inclusion at ViacomCBS, told the Creativity Diversity Network in a speech in London last year.

Smalls pointed to UK regulatory requirements such as the publication of the company's gender pay gap and the disclosure of diversity statistics about its local workforce. There is "nothing else" around the world to match the Diamond report in terms of industry-wide collaboration, she said.

"Initially, there were misgivings at Viacom about the ethics, perhaps even the legality, of surveying our employees for this type of data. But we have come to see this level of transparency as a net positive, and as an approach we can adapt and roll out in other countries, too."

However, for those in UK broadcasting, there is little room for complacency. "We know that there is more to do" was a constant refrain from all of the broadcasters that spoke to Campaign.

Even that well-intentioned tone does not match the level of impatience and frustration felt by some leading figures from BAME backgrounds.

When Coel gave the MacTaggart Lecture to the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2018, she told a story about filming her show Chewing Gum on location overseas and having stones thrown at her by four men in the street.

"The producers saw shooting in 'that place' as a low-cost haven," she said. "They didn't consider the experiences of the brown and black cast to meet the morals of their diversity compass, because they didn't think to see things from our point of view." Her white colleagues who worked on the show weren't racist but they might have been "thoughtless about race", she suggested.

Or as Younge puts it: "We have to think differently. What we've been doing before [as an industry] hasn't been working."

The message is resonating beyond the entertainment world. It "simply cannot be right in this day and age" that diversity still requires improvement, Prince William told the Bafta film awards earlier this month after all 20 acting nominees were white.

More work and collective action are needed for the media industry to speed up the glacial pace of change.

Staff from a BAME background: how the UK broadcasters compare

Each key BBC leadership group is to appoint two new advisers, with at least one on each group expected to have a deep understanding of BAME issues. The Corporation also runs a commissioner development programme which offers TV professionals with a disability or who are from BAME backgrounds the opportunity to develop commissioning skills.

The BBC will host an inaugural Creative Diversity Festival in spring 2020, led by June Sarpong, the BBC's creative director of diversity, which will specifically focus on BAME talent. "We are committed to ensuring it will deliver real results and change," the BBC says. Forthcoming programming includes a new Michaela Coel drama, provisionally called January 22nd, and a Steve McQueen-directed series, Small Axe. BBC One is "the most popular channel in the UK amongst BAME audiences", the BBC says, but the annual report warned: "BAME audiences gave lower scores than white audiences for the extent to which the BBC caters for a wide range of tastes and reflects what is relevant to them."

ITV has the lowest proportion of BAME staff compared with the other four UK-based broadcasters but it also has the highest proportion (16%) who don't report their ethnicity, according to Ofcom's diversity monitoring report. Chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has set a target that 15% of managers and staff should be from a BAME background by 2022.

ITV's social purpose report shows it has a median "ethnicity" pay gap of 7.8%. The FTSE-100 company has been focusing, in particular, on improving the intake for entry-level roles as it aims to attract "individuals who may not have previously considered ITV as a potential employer". Among apprentices, 27% came from a BAME background in 2018/19. Coronation Street welcomed the Bailey family as black characters last year, Gurinder Chadha wrote and produced a six-hour, prime-time drama Beecham House and ITV2 quiz show Don't Hate the Playaz broke fresh ground with an all-black, all-female panel. ITV also runs Original Voices, a scheme to support BAME writers.

The state-owned, commercial broadcaster has diversity written into its remit by Parliament and has a strategy called "4 All The UK". Channel 4 launched commissioning diversity guidelines in 2015 and 89% of programmes met those targets in 2018 - the highest level yet. Its Indie Growth Fund is focused on backing production companies that are either in the Nations & Regions (outside London) or BAME-led.

For the first time, Channel 4 last year published pay-gap data for four groups - gender, BAME, disability and LGBT+. Alex Mahon, its chief executive, has set a target for 20% of leaders to be from a BAME background by 2023 and introduced diversity dashboards to track progress. Recent shows include The Big Narstie Show and The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan, and BAME audience share was up 3% last year. "When you represent society as it is, there are positive commercial gains," Mahon says. 4Sales runs an annual Diversity in Advertising award that offers £1m of commercial airtime for a campaign that highlights diversity.

The Comcast-owned pay-TV and broadband giant claims to have "exceeded" its target for 20% BAME representation for both senior roles and on-screen talent (although it is lower in the broadcast division - 15%, according to Ofcom's figures). Sky believes shaking up its recruitment process helped to increase the proportion of BAME staff as it refreshed the language in job ads, placed them where they would "attract more diverse candidates" and appointed more diverse interview panels.

Internal initiatives include Fresh Perspectives, a coaching programme for managers from a BAME background. Sky admits there is "an industry-wide challenge" when it comes to "under-representation" of BAME writers and it offers support at a monthly event. The ad sales operation, Sky Media, has been using its ad-targeting service, AdSmart, to appeal to BAME audiences. Ofcom said Sky's data collection on employee diversity got worse last year and the regulator has been "assured" it will improve this year.

The owner of Channel 5 and MTV has a relatively strong record on diversity, with 20% of staff from a BAME background, Ofcom's figures show. The UK-based operation has followed the lead of its US counterparts, including ViacomCBS's cable networks and Paramount Pictures, which have a content creation council that is "required to enhance access and opportunities for historically under-represented groups in the media industry".

Under the leadership of UK director of programming Ben Frow, all productions "must outline how they will help the channel meet its diversity and inclusion goals" and there is a scheme to help BAME production companies, particularly those based in the regions, to develop new show ideas for Channel 5. Other Viacom initiatives include Viewfinder Emerging TV Directors and Nickelodeon Artists and Writing Programmes. Viacom UK also produced its first Diversity & Inclusion Workforce Report. "We know there's always room to do more," Marva Smalls, global head of inclusion at ViacomCBS, says.

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The BAME screen test: does British TV lack diversity?

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How does the UK's TV industry stack up against the US when it comes to BAME representation both behind the camera and in front of it?

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Netflix has strategies that diversify their staff and get ethnic minorities into positions of power.

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Netflix has strategies that diversify their staff and get ethnic minorities into positions of power.

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Netflix are beating British production companies because they embrace diversity.

They are the worlds largest film and TV production company and streaming service. With their headquarters in the US, they put inclusivity and diversity first and even train executives to identify their privileges and think with an "inclusion lens," as well as tailoring recruiting strategies for each industry.

This is why Sir Lenny Henry mentioned Netflix when he spoke about British TV falling behind. It's because diversity in an industry increases the overall quality of said industry. Netflix are at the top of their game and will continue to do so until other broadcasting companies and streaming services change their approach to creating content.

Overall, 46% of Netflix's US workforce were from minority ethnic backgrounds, as were 42% of its leadership.

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Netflix shares the inclusion strategy that helped it improve Black representation in its leadership and the areas it needs to do better in like recruiting Latinx staffers

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Netflix released on Wednesday its first inclusion report that details its progress on diversity, the strategies that moved the needle, and where it needs to do better. The report showed that Netflix made big strides since 2017 in recruiting Black staffers, who now make up 8% of its full-time US workforce and 9% of its leadership team.

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There needs to be more diversity in positions of power for anything to change.

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There needs to be more diversity in positions of power for anything to change.

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Influential writer/director and American national treasure Spike Lee, has spoken out against under-representation in the film industry at large.

He states: "I think that one of the final frontiers to complete diversity has to be among the gatekeepers. The people at the head of various media outlets who decide what they’re making and not making. Until there’s diversity brought to that, we’re still going to have issues."

What I can take from this is that he also believe that there needs to be change from within the system and that there need to be far more minority ethnic creators and producers in positions of power.

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Lee said it was no secret that his nomination took 30 years in the making. "But I'm not complaining! It's a joyous day." Credit... Heather Sten for The New York Times

Three years ago, Spike Lee made headlines when he announced that he'd be skipping the Oscars - a protest, he said, of the academy's historical failure to honor artists of color.

Now, the academy is coming to him.

"BlacKkKLansman," Lee's 21st feature, not counting documentaries, was nominated for six Academy Awards on Tuesday, including best picture and best director. It's the first directing nomination for Lee, who, by almost any other measure, has been widely regarded as one of his medium's most important artists - and one of his industry's most energetic ombudsmen - for at least two decades.

[Read more about the nominations | Check out the full list of nominees | See the snubs and surprises.]

His classic films of the late '80s and '90s ("She's Gotta Have It," "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X") reshaped American cinema, helped make stars of Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, and turned Lee himself into a new kind of celebrity - part auteur, part public servant, part sneaker pitchman.

But he's had a fraught relationship with film's major honorary body from almost the beginning of his career. At the 1990 Oscars, "Do the Right Thing" lost out in two categories (best screenplay and best supporting actor, for Danny Aiello) and fell short of a best picture nomination, awarded that year to "Driving Miss Daisy." In 2015, during an acceptance speech for an honorary prize at the academy's Governors Awards, Lee implored those in attendance to "get smart" about diversity and foster a creative work force that can "reflect what this country looks like."

The same night of that speech, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, then the academy's president, announced a multiyear campaign to diversify its membership. The move wasn't enough to convince Lee to attend the 2016 ceremony (he went to a Knicks game instead), but he credits Isaacs's efforts for clearing room for "BlacKkKlansman." The movie, a critical and box office hit based on the true story of a black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, has turned the director, at 61, into the toast of the town once again.

Lee spoke about "BlacKkKlansman," the state of the Hollywood and, naturally, the state of the White House, from his home in New York, where he watched Tuesday's announcements with his wife, two children and one flustered dog.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
How do you feel?
Well, it feels very good. We're very pleased. We were all watching, sitting in bed, jumping up and down. The dog was barking at us - she didn't know what was going on [laughs] - but it's a good day. It's a good day.
You've said that ever since your experience with "Do the Right Thing," you haven't held out hope for recognition from the academy. What does it mean to be nominated now, 30 years later?
Well, any time there's an award, you should think about who's voting. And the membership of the academy today is much more diverse than it was back then. #OscarsSoWhite definitely prodded the academy to open up its membership, and that's why I think that you see films by people of color are getting the recognition now that they didn't get in the past.

A lot of people worked on this film, in front and behind the camera. And also the marketing - this whole Oscars campaign. I couldn't have done it alone. People were busting their ass. Everyone has asked me from the beginning, "How do you feel about where you are with this film?" I love where we are. We're the long-shot. And I like being in that position. I've always been the underdog, always. And you could quote me: We're the dark horse in the race. Pun intended.

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Spike Lee working with Adam Driver on the set of "BlacKkKlansman." Credit... David Lee/Focus Features

Does any part of you feel like it's overdue?
I mean, look, it's no secret. 30 years is a long [expletive] time. But I'm not complaining! It's a joyous day. I'm blessed for this day. Blessed for the recognition. And there's a feeling that it's not just the people that worked on this film [that have earned recognition], it's the people that have been working on my films since 1986.
You've made all kinds of films - some independent, some with studios, some that you wrote, some that were written by others - was there anything about "BlacKkKlansman" that you thought had the potential to resonate in a different way?
Well, when Jordan Peele called me up and gave me the pitch "Black man infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan," I was intrigued, because with the absurdity of that premise comes humor. Kevin Willmott [a co-writer of the film] and I knew that if we could use the movie to connect the past with the present, we could do something that connected with people. And it was a tough thing to do. But it was successful, and it speaks directly to the world we live in today with this guy in the White House. Today, when 800,000 Americans need a break as we go into another week of this temper tantrum about how this guy wants his money for his wall. A wall he wants to be built upon the border of a country that he says [is home to] rapists, murders and drug dealers. And that they're gonna pay for! Which is not true.

This film deals directly with the madness and the mayhem of this Looney Tunes, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs world [laughs]. And I feel that many years to come, when historians search for a piece of art that clearly shows what is happening today, "BlacKkKlansman" will be one of the first things they look at. Because this film is on the right side of history.

When you think about the journey "BlacKkKlansman" has had, what do you think it says about where the industry is today and where it's going?
Well, none of this would have been possible if the academy did not make the heroic move, and the right move to open up its ranks to better reflect what this country looks like. And I applaud the former president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, for being the one to champion that. I don't think that was an easy thing to do.
You once famously said that it's easier as a black man to become the president of the United States than it is to become the head of a movie studio. There still aren't many black people at the heads of movie studios.
[Laughs] And I still think I'm right on that. I think that one of the final frontiers to complete diversity has to be among the gatekeepers. The people at the head of various media outlets who decide what they're making and not making. Until there's diversity brought to that, we're still going to have issues.
In 1990, the first time you were nominated for an Academy Award, "Driving Miss Daisy" won best picture. This year, "BlacKkKlansman" is up against "Green Book," which some people have compared to "Driving Miss Daisy." Do you see a coincidence?
I have a policy today where I'm not talking about anybody else's films that were nominated. But I will acknowledge that comparison has been made, yes.

Can you tell me how you feel about being up against "Green Book"?
Can't speak on it. Won't speak on it! [Laughs]
In your own personal top 10, where does "BlacKkKlansman" rank?
It's the latest one. The latest Spike Lee joint.

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Spike Lee Reacts to His First Best-Director Nomination (Published 2019)

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Three years ago, Spike Lee made headlines when he announced that he'd be skipping the Oscars - a protest, he said, of the academy's historical failure to honor artists of color. Now, the academy is coming to him. "BlacKkKLansman," Lee's 21st feature, not counting documentaries, was nominated for six Academy Awards on Tuesday, including best picture and best director.

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Lee has also spoken out numerous times against the Academy Awards for hardly ever nominating African-American artists and creators.

Spike Lee's true-story film 'Blackkklansman' (about a black police officer infiltrating the KKK) lost out to the fictional, all-white-crew film 'Green Book' about a white man driving a black man around. This echoed the time when 'Driving Miss Daisy' (a film about a black man driving a rich old white lady) defeated his cult classic 'Do the right thing' to the Best Picture award race at the 1989 Oscars. "Every time someone is driving somebody, I lose,” Spike Lee told reporters in response to a question about his reaction to for Green Book’s win.

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Spike Lee, whose film BlacKkKlansman was Oscar-nominated for best picture, said "the ref made a bad call" when Green Book won the top prize at Sunday's Academy Awards.

The director tried to storm out of the Dolby Theatre after the race relations drama was announced the winner at the end of the Oscars ceremony, according to various media accounts, then returned to his seat, where he turned his back on the stage during the acceptance speeches.

The film, which based on a true story of the friendship between a black pianist and his white driver touring the racially segregated deep south during the 1960s, also won for best original screenplay and supporting actor, Mahershala Ali.

In the press room backstage, Lee recalled that his film Do the Right Thing had failed to earn a best picture nomination for the Oscars in 1989, the year that Driving Miss Daisy - about a black chauffeur for a white elderly southern woman - won the award.

"I'm snakebit. Every time someone is driving somebody, I lose," Lee told reporters in response to a question about his reaction to for Green Book's win.

The director, a fan of the New York Knicks basketball team, said when he heard Green Book announced as the year's best picture winner: "I thought I was courtside at the [Madison Square] Garden, and the ref made a bad call."

Lee won an Oscar on Sunday for best adapted screenplay as a co-writer for BlacKkKlansman. Other writers from the film declined to address Lee's reaction to the choice of best picture.

"We're just glad to be here, glad we won," said the BlacKkKlansman co-writer Kevin Willmott. "It's a real breakthrough that any film about race gets to win."

Some critics faulted Green Book for offering a white character, played by Viggo Mortensen, as the main protagonist in a film about discrimination against black people.

The film also sparked controversy when relatives of Don Shirley, the pianist at the centre of the story, complained his depiction in the movie contained inaccuracies. Ali, who plays Shirley in the film, has said he respects the family's views and had spoken to them.

In addition, accusations of sexual impropriety by the film's director, Peter Farrelly, from the 1990s resurfaced after the film's release. Farrelly has apologised for his conduct.

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Spike Lee on Green Book's Oscar win: 'The ref made a bad call'

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Spike Lee, whose film BlacKkKlansman was Oscar-nominated for best picture, said "the ref made a bad call" when Green Book won the top prize at Sunday's Academy Awards.

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Oscars History of their lack of Diversity

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Oscars History of their lack of Diversity

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In 2016, Jada Pinkett Smith along with other African American artists boycotted the Oscars due to no black actors/actresses being nominated and helped spread the hashtag #OscarSoWhite.

Spike Lee stated that: "How is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white? And let’s not even get into the other branches. 40 white actors in 2 years and no flava at all. We can’t act?! WTF!!”

You may be thinking that maybe the best performances that year were made by white actors. But what about Idris Elba in Netflix's 'Beats of No Nation' or Michael B Jordan in 'Creed' or Benicio Del Toro in 'Sicario'.

It's disappointing to see non white artists (behind or in front of the camera) not recognised by the biggest awards ceremony in the world.

'Straight Outta Compton' producer Will Packer described the 2016 list of Oscar nominees as “embarrassing” in a post after the film’s sole nomination was handed to its white screenwriters, Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff. 'Straight Outta Compton' deals with real life story of the rise of (arguably) the greastest rap/hip hop group of all time 'N.W.A.'

I too find this embassising.

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On-screen representation (actors) compared with behind the camera (writers/directors)

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On-screen representation (actors) compared with behind the camera (writers/directors)

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People from diverse backgrounds are underrepresented at producer (10.5%) and series producer (4.4%) levels according to the data drawn from organisations including the BBC ITV, Sky and  Channel 5.

The report found, however, that BAME people are “highly represented” on-screen, taking 22.7% of acting and presenting roles, compared to the 13% national average. BAME actors and supporting actors performed particularly well.

This just means that under-representation is happening behind the camera and not on-screen. From writers to executive producers, British TV must do help represent their own population and listen to a range of voices.

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The Ultimate guide to what minority groups are being under-represented.

In the OFCOMS review, the below is stated (with evidence):

Women are under-represented.

Women are even less well represented at senior levels.

Ethnic minority employees are under-represented.

Ethnic-minority representation is even lower at senior levels.

Disabled people appear to be significantly under-represented.

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Women, ethnic minorities and disabled people all under-represented by TV industry

Poor monitoring is widespread: many broadcasters unaware of staff make-up

Ofcom announces range of measures to help tackle under-representation

Broadcasters need to improve the diversity of their employees, Ofcom said today, as a major study of diversity in television finds that women, ethnic-minority groups and disabled people are all under-represented in the industry.

Ofcom's report, Diversity and equal opportunities in television, uncovers the scale and nature of the diversity challenge facing the TV industry, with a focus on the main five broadcasters - the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Viacom (owner of Channel 5).

Broadcasters need to widen the range of talent working on and off screen. Too many people from minority groups struggle to get into television, creating a cultural disconnect between the people who make programmes and the millions who watch them.

Ofcom research (PDF, 268.9 KB) has found that many people do not feel broadcasters are making programmes that authentically portray their lives and communities.

Dearth of data

The report finds that many broadcasters urgently need to undertake better, more regular monitoring of the make-up of their employees. Though most provided Ofcom with information on employees' gender, the television industry could offer ethnicity data for only 81% of its workers, and disability figures for just 69%.

Broadcasters provided even less information for other characteristics: they provided no data on the age of 43% of employees, provided no information on the sexual orientation of 62% of employees, and no data on religion or belief for 67% of employees.

How the five main broadcasters compare on diversity

Disabled people appear to be significantly under-represented. Just 3% of employees across the five main broadcasters self-report as disabled, compared to 18% of the UK population. Channel 4 has the highest proportion of disabled employees at 11%, and Viacom the lowest at 1%. Four per cent of the BBC's employees are disabled. Sky provided disability information on only 2% of its employees, and ITV on fewer than half.

Sharon White, Ofcom Chief Executive, said: "Television is central to the UK's cultural landscape, society and creative economy, and we believe that creativity in broadcasting thrives on diversity of thinking.

"Today's report paints a worrying picture, with many broadcasters failing properly to monitor the make-up of their employees. We're announcing a range of measures to help close the gap between the people making programmes, and the many millions who watch them."

Action from broadcasters

While some broadcasters are already taking action (PDF, 514.9 KB) to improve diversity, a step-change across industry is required, with action needed by broadcasters.

First, broadcasters should regularly measure and monitor the make-up of their workforce to a consistently high standard, capturing every relevant protected characteristic under the Equality Act, and all main job levels and functions.

Second, Ofcom expects broadcasters to set clear diversity targets so their employees more accurately reflect the society we live in.

Third, diversity transformation should be led from the top. We want chief executives to be accountable for delivery against their diversity targets. Comprehensive diversity policies need to be embedded from the top down, with senior diversity champions leading the agenda; appraisals of senior employees against diversity objectives; and 'unconscious bias' and diversity training.

The BBC's role

As the UK's largest broadcaster, the BBC's position on diversity is likely to have a disproportionate effect on the wider industry. The BBC should be leading the way, but today's report shows its performance on most charactersitics is behind that of Channel 4.

By 2020, the BBC wants its employees to comprise 50% women, 8% disabled people, 8% lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people and 15% people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Ofcom is considering these commitments as part of our work on the BBC performance framework. We're currently reviewing all the responses to our draft operating licence for the BBC, and will finalise the licence in the autumn.

Ofcom's action

Ofcom has today announced a range of measures to supplement industry action on diversity.

Further develop our monitoring programme. Today's report is the first in a series of annual publications measuring the diversity of the TV industry, identifying which broadcasters are improving and which have more to do. We will work with broadcasters to help them to improve the quality and comparability of their data, and explore what new information can be provided to assess the social class of people in broadcasting, looking at their geographic and educational backgrounds.

Better diversity guidance. In light of today's report, we will update our diversity guidance for broadcasters. Broadcasters must have regard to this when when developing their arrangements to promote equal opportunities.

Enforcement action against broadcasters who failed to provide requireddata. 57 licensees failed to respond to our request for information before the deadline, and we have begun enforcement action.

Publishing diversity data on the radio industry. Over the coming months, we will start work on measuring the diversity of the UK radio industry.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Ofcom's Diversity and equal opportunities in television report is based on anonymised data for nearly 50,000 staff working at 347 UK broadcasters. This is separate to Diamond, an industry-wide monitoring system which aims to capture diversity data on people working on or off-screen on all UK-originated productions. See more information on Diamond.

2. Across the UK television industry as a whole, women account for 48% of employees, versus 51% of the wider population.

3. Male employees comprise 63% of Board and non-executive employees, and 59% of senior management across the UK-based industry as a whole.

4. The proportion of employees from a minority background across the UK television industry as a whole is 11%, versus 14% of the population. Ethnic-minority representation is similar within programming roles (11%) and commissioning jobs (13%).

5. Across the UK television industry as a whole, people from an ethnic minority background only make up 9% of Board and non-executive level positions, and 8% of senior-management.

6. Ofcom is considering these commitments in the context of the BBC's public purpose under the Charter, to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of the UK's nations and regions.

7. Licensees which employ more than 20 people in connection with the provision of their service and are authorised to broadcast for more than 31 days a year are required to make such arrangements.

8. In the case of the BBC, the Secretary of State would give a direction requiring the BBC's arrangements to cover additional characteristics.

9. This table shows how the main five broadcasters compare:

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Diversity of UK television industry revealed

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Women, ethnic minorities and disabled people all under-represented by TV industry Poor monitoring is widespread: many broadcasters unaware of staff make-up Ofcom announces range of measures to help tackle under-representation Broadcasters need to improve the diversity of their employees, Ofcom said today, as a major study of diversity in television finds that women, ethnic-minority groups and disabled people are all under-represented in the industry.

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Disabled People under-represented - A Major Issue!

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Disabled People under-represented - A Major Issue!

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The CDN report said that the UK television industry has a great deal of work to do on disability. It found that disabled people are only making 5.2% of contributions off-screen and 7.8% on-screen, compared to a 17% national average. It has led to the conclusion that people with disabilities are being “shut out” of the industry.

This means that disabled people are the most under-represented minority group on and off screen in all of British Television.

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Despite a few notable examples of representation - Liz Carr as Clarissa in Silent Witness and, more recently, George Robinson playing the first disabled character in hit Netflix show Sex Education - we are still overwhelmingly absent from our screens and public life in general

But just like everybody else, we want our stories to be told. Seeing others like us represented on TV and in the media creates a sense of welcome and inclusion. The kind of inclusion that for too long has been missing for disabled people.

In fact, despite being the largest minority group in the UK, disabled people are still the most under-represented group in TV. This is according to the Creative Diversity Network's (CDN's) latest Diamond report, which reveals there is still a significant paucity of disabled people working in both on and off-screen roles.

The annual report, which is the most comprehensive monitor of diversity in UK television and is backed by UK broadcasters the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, ViacomCBS and Sky, found that disabled people make up just 5.2 per cent of contributions off-screen and 7.8 per cent on-screen, despite the overall figure for working age disabled people in the UK hitting 17 per cent.

However, the findings come as no surprise to many. star Kim Tserkezie, who has been in the industry for 25 years, says she has seen very little improvement over that time.

"Being inclusive of disability is often thought of as something that can be expensive, so unless TV bosses are really pushed to do it, they won't," says actor, writer and producer David Proud, who has starred in EastEnders and kids' TV show Desperados. "In reality, access needs can often be very small and the benefit of being inclusive is bigger than any financial cost."

Sadly, staggering amounts of unconscious bias about disability in the industry still persist, leaving many to feel that greater accountability of those in charge is needed. Groundbreaking, disabled-led TV series are still being declined at the commissioning stage over minor technicalities.

"Our Black Panther equivalent is being turned down week on week," says Proud. "One commissioner even said, 'There isn't a market for disabled stories,' and they said it like they were being reasonable. It's time that commissioners and controllers are held to account for decisions."

"All those pitiful portrayals of us on-screen perpetuate the stereotypes and how people perceive us in our daily lives," says Tserkezie. "It turns out that we're still very much seen as medical problems and not independent human beings who are multi-skilled, who live very diverse lives and have a lot to offer."

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Tserkezie longs to see disabled actors playing more diverse characters on-screen. "We have so many different roles in society, just like anyone else - we're parents, we're friends, we're partners - but we don't see that reflected. We're still very much hired to play the disability issue and we're in and out."

There has also been ongoing debate around actors without disabilities who continue to play disabled characters - or "crip up" - often to great applause and awards.

Actor Dan Edge believes that there is no parity in the industry when it comes to this issue. "A non-disabled actor can have their arm green-screened off for the whole movie and nobody bats an eyelid," he says. "They never do it the other way round. A non-disabled actor like Eddie Redmayne can play Stephen Hawking and get nominated for an Oscar. Where is the parity? Disability is not a challenge to be played by actors. If disabled talent is not getting cast as disabled people, and nobody is going to green screen us onto non-disabled bodies, what roles can we play?"

There's a strong argument that non-disabled actors playing the roles of disabled characters prevents disabled actors building any profile.

"There will never be any disabled talent with name value until we're given the roles to build that profile," says Edge. "It's a catch-22; no there isn't any disabled talent with name value, as you're not giving us the jobs in the first place."

Mik Scarlet, an actor and presenter with 30 years experience in the industry, including roles in and , feels that it's time to admit that there are some elements of acting that are acting and there are also some elements of acting that are about identity. "There is an identity in being disabled. There's a physicality and understanding of the character that even the best actor in the world won't understand."

And there's growing consensus that if TV companies genuinely want to be the inclusive, diverse makers of wonderful content that they keep saying they aspire to be, then it's time that they put their money where their mouth is and start employing disabled people in roles of management that actually shape the policy.

"There isn't a lack of talent," says Scarlet. "I think there's an internal ableism in the industry that hasn't really been confronted. It comes from management - it's a policy thing. They need to acknowledge that it exists and decree that TV needs to represent disabled people as one in five of the population."

And in the age of streaming platforms, where it's a constant fight for viewers, if broadcasters have good, genuine representation of disabled people on-screen, many feel they will get more eyeballs for these shows.

"It's worth the investment when disabled people have something like £249bn spending power per year," says Edge. "We will spend that if we see ourselves represented well. We will subscribe to the streaming platforms if we're seeing ourselves on-screen. We just want to see our stories told in the same way as everybody else."

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It's 2020, why are disabled people still being shut out of TV?

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Despite a few notable examples of representation - Liz Carr as Clarissa in Silent Witness and, more recently, George Robinson playing the first disabled character in hit Netflix show Sex Education - we are still overwhelmingly absent from our screens and public life in general But just like everybody else, we want our stories to be told.

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BBC iPlayer's most popular TV series of 2019:

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BBC iPlayer's most popular TV series of 2019:

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The Top 5 Drama BBC TV shows of 2019 were all created by British white men and women.

Killing Eve (S2) = 40 million
Line of Duty (S5) = 27 million
Peaky Blinders (S5) = 26 million
Fleabag (S2) = 20 million
The Capture (S1) = 19 million

(this list does not include reality shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Apprentice)

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Killing Eve has been named the most-watched programme of 2019 on BBC iPlayer with a significant lead on its competition.

The thriller from Phoebe Waller-Bridge debuted its second season this year to huge popularity, attracting well over 40 million requests on the BBC's online platform.

Killing Eve's closest competitor was Jed Mercurio's police drama Line of Duty, which settled for second place with 27 million requests.

Notably, Waller-Bridge can lay claim to two other positions on the iPlayer top ten, as the first season of Killing Eve was the sixth most-watched show (22 million), with Fleabag in at number 6 (20 million).

Long-running shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice and Silent Witness were also strong performers this year, while brand new drama The Capture starring Holliday Grainger also made the top 10.
BBC iPlayer's biggest series of 2019:

1. Killing Eve: Series 2 - 40.3 million

2. Line of Duty: Series 5 - 27.3 million

3. Peaky Blinders: Series 5 - 26.6 million

4. Strictly Come Dancing: Series 17 - 23.8 million

5. Killing Eve: Series 1 - 22.3 million

6. Fleabag: Series 2 - 20.3 million

7. The Apprentice: Series 15 - 19.9 million

8. The Capture: Series 1 - 19.2 million

9. MasterChef: Series 15 - 19 million

10. Silent Witness: Series 22 - 18.1 million

While Line of Duty may have missed out on the title of biggest series, the acclaimed drama can boast the honour of having the single most popular episode of the year.

The first episode of the latest series was viewed 5.8 million times on BBC iPlayer, just under 100,000 more than Peaky Blinders' series five premiere which placed second.

Sport was also a big deal on BBC iPlayer this year, with the FIFA Women's World Cup receiving 8.7 million requests throughout the duration of the contest, while the men's singles Wimbledon final had 1.6 million.

Charlotte Moore, director of content at the BBC, says: "It's been a huge year for BBC iPlayer - as well as record-breaking figures, it's become an entertainment destination in its own right; and with approval for new programmes to be available for a minimum of 12 months, this will deliver real value for licence fee payers. In 2020 we will go even further to make it the best watch ever from binge-worthy series to the biggest live TV moments."

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Killing Eve beats Line of Duty and Peaky Blinders to become BBC iPlayer's biggest show of 2019

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Killing Eve has been named the most-watched programme of 2019 on BBC iPlayer with a significant lead on its competition. The thriller from Phoebe Waller-Bridge debuted its second season this year to huge popularity, attracting well over 40 million requests on the BBC's online platform.

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Im bisexual (or pansexual) or something else? I don't know, It doesn't really matter to me. I don't think of my sexuality as a personality trait of mine. However, when i was growing up i wished i had some idea of what a non-heterosexual relationship looked like. I wish there was a British TV show for younger viewers which i could have watched. I probably wouldn't have struggled with my sexuality so much when I was a teenager if i had some representation in British TV made for teens.

When I think of TV shows and Films in the UK, only a very small handful of queer ones come to mind. There are a few LGBTQ actors that i am aware of, Sir Ian McKellen quickly comes to mind (I love Lord of the Rings).

However behind the camera is another matter, this is because the only LGBTQ+ writer, director or producer that is well known in the UK is Russell T. Davies.

He has done the most for queer representation in TV that anyone else in the UK. However he is only one voice. He is a white gay man. Where are the lesbian writers? Where are the non binary directors? Where are the trans women of colour producers?

I'm not forcing my agenda. Im not forcing diversity. Im simply stating that statistically there must be people like this that are in the industry and want to represent their demographic. This, in turn, will help audiences members of the same demographic that it's ok to be who you are. I never had this growing up and I wish I did.

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Russel T. Davies impact on Queer representation on British TV

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Russel T. Davies impact on Queer representation on British TV

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Russell T. Davies has been an important figure in television since the early '90s, from highlighting the lives of gay men in Queer as Folk to reviving Doctor Who, he has changed the landscape of British TV. With the recent popularity of his latest series, It's a Sin, and to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month I will be looking at some of his most significant works that highlight the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Queer as Folk (1999-2000)

Queer as Folk was not the first show on British television to include gay characters, but it was pioneering in make them the stars. Queer as Folk follows the lives of three gay men in Manchester in the late '90s as they navigate friendships, sex, and family in a time when section 28 was still in place and the age of consent between two men was higher than for heterosexual couples. Watching Queer as Folk feels like observing a moment in queer history when the AIDS epidemic was still fresh, and before gay marriage or even civil partnerships were made legal in the UK, but as hope for the future was emerging. Queer as Folk is not just about queer history, it is queer history.
Available on All4

Queer as Folk is not just about queer history, it is queer history

Torchwood (2006-2011)

You don't have to be a Doctor Who fan to watch Davies' spin-off which follows the staff of the Torchwood Institute as they save the world from the many monsters that apparently occupy 21st century Cardiff. Torchwood first aired while Davies was the showrunner of Doctor Who, and puts a more adult spin on the family-friendly show, focusing on the lives of those who work for Torchwood as much as the aliens they fight. The show particularly focuses on the immortal, bisexual, time agent Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) who will flirt with just about anyone, regardless of gender, age, or even planet of origin.
Available on BBC iPlayer
Cucumber and Banana (2015)

After 15 years of cut ties with Channel 4 following disputes regarding Queer as Folk, Davies returned to the network with the drama series Cucumber. Like Queer as Folk, Cucumber is set in Manchester, this time following middle-aged Henry (Vincent Franklin) as he leaves a nine-year relationship and tries to find who he is on his own. Each episode of Cucumber is accompanied by an episode of Banana, which follows a minor character introduced in Cucumber, telling stories from different perspectives within the LGBTQ+ community. Though Cucumber did not receive the same mainstream success as some shows on this list, it is perhaps the most human, with the flaws of each of its characters at its core. While each show can be watched alone, I would recommend watching the two together.
Both Available on All4

Though Cucumber did not receive the same mainstream success as some shows on this list, it is perhaps the most human

A Very English Scandal (2018)

Based on a real political scandal of the 1970s, A Very English Scandal is about the relationship between Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw) leader of the Liberal Party and Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant). It follows Thorpe's failed arranged murder of Scott, and the subsequent court case. Davis adds humour to the real-life events that are equally disturbing and ridiculous, and the chemistry between Grant and Whishaw adds to the brilliant script (although it does make watching Paddington 2...different). A Very English Scandal is both a fun watch and a reminder of a dark moment in British LGBTQ+ history.
Available on BBC iPlayer
It's a Sin (2021)

Davies' latest drama It's a Sin takes a look at the AIDS crisis, partly inspired by his own experiences as a gay man during the 1980s. Though the show was filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects feel eerily familiar, such as the feelings of denial, fear, and hopelessness many of us have experienced over the past year. But It's a Sin is not just about the disease, it is about the people who lived through the AIDS epidemic. It's a Sin will make you laugh as much as it will make you cry, and is an important reminder that the heart of LGBTQ+ history is the people in the community.
Available on All4

It's a Sin will make you laugh as much as it will make you cry

Like this? Check out similar articles here: Review: It's A Sin It's A Sin and the Legacy of HIV Authenticity in Casting: Can Straight Actors Play Gay Characters?

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How Russell T. Davies Changed LGBTQ+ Representation on British TV | Redbrick TV

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Russell T. Davies has been an important figure in television since the early '90s, from highlighting the lives of gay men in Queer as Folk to reviving Doctor Who, he has changed the landscape of British TV.

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LGBTQ+ are under-represented behind the camera on UK TV

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LGBTQ+ are under-represented behind the camera on UK TV

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Even though LGBTQ+ relationships and characters are being represented in British TV (only in certain genres though). There is still so much further to go with diversity behind the camera.

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NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News

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LGBTQ representation on TV has fallen for the first time in five years, according to an annual report by LGBTQ advocacy organisation GLAAD.

Published yesterday (January 14), a US report called 'Where We Are on TV' assessed representation in the 2020-21 season, defined as broadcast, cable and streaming shows expected to premiere new seasons between June 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021.

It found that the percentage of regular characters scheduled to appear on prime-time scripted broadcast television who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer decreased to 9.1% in the 2020-21 season. This is down from the previous year's record high of 10.2%.

It also found that the number of recurring LGBTQ characters - people who make multiple appearances in a series but are not part of the main cast - is almost the same as the previous season (31 this year, compared with 30 in the prior year).

Across broadcast, cable and streaming, the 2020-21 season sees a drop of 128 LGBTQ characters (from 488 to 360), but this was expected due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing networks and creators to pause production on several shows. This in turn affected the development of shows that feature LGBTQ characters, such as and Killing Eve, which were not included in the research period.

The largest decrease in LGBTQ representation is seen in scripted cable shows. Primetime series in the 2020-21 season feature 81 regular LGBTQ characters (down from 121 last season) and 37 recurring ones (down from 94), while original series premiering on the streaming services Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu include 95 series regulars (down from 109) and 46 recurring ones (up from 44).

The number of transgender characters across broadcast, cable and streaming decreased to 29 from 38 last season, though the percentage of those played or voiced by transgender actors increased to 90% from 82%. The number of LGBTQ characters who are bisexual increased slightly, from 26% to 28%.

The report found that for the first time more than half of LGBTQ characters on prime-time scripted cable series were people of colour. While broadcast had already achieved that figure, streaming was the only platform in which white LGBTQ characters (51%) outnumbered non-white ones.

GLAAD president and chief executive, Sarah Kate Ellis said the shifting cultural and political landscape presented "an opportunity to break new ground with stories" and to create characters who "do not reinforce harmful stereotypes".

She added: "Representation matters more than ever as people turn to entertainment storytelling for connection and escape."

Elsewhere in the report, representation of women remained unchanged at 46% of series regulars on broadcast television. However, they are still underrepresented, being they make up 51% of the US population, according to the Census Bureau.

The percentage of Black characters on broadcast television remained about the same at 22% (down slightly from last season's 23%), while the percentage of Latino characters decreased from 9% to 7%.

The percentage of regular characters with a disability increased slightly, to 3.5% from last year's 3.1%, but still under-represents the estimated 26% of adults in the US who have disabilities.

Network-wise, The CW is the most inclusive broadcast network, according to the report, while FX tops the cable networks and Netflix claims the title among streaming platforms.

Earlier this week, It's A Sin creator Russell T Davies said he believes gay roles should be played by gay actors.

The writer and showrunner, who also worked on Queer As Folk and A Very English Scandal, said "it's about authenticity" when discussing the ongoing debate.

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LGBTQ representation on TV falls for first time in five years

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LGBTQ representation on TV has fallen for the first time in five years, according to an annual report by LGBTQ advocacy organisation GLAAD. Published yesterday (January 14), a US report called 'Where We Are on TV' assessed representation in the 2020-21 season, defined as broadcast, cable and streaming shows expected to premiere new seasons between June 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021.

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LGBTQ+ representation is more important than ever

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LGBTQ+ representation is more important than ever

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When I was younger I used to watch bootlegs of The L Word after school. My teenage self would find links online and binge season upon season of the American show about a group of strong, independent queer women and dream about which character I wanted to be. I'd plug in my headphones so my parents couldn't hear anything from the living room, my mouse poised above the "minimise" button in case they came in. It was my little gateway into a world I never had the means to understand.

Like so many young gay people I kept my feelings hidden behind a public attitude of "curiosity" and a manufactured penchant for boys. I remember once having a conversation with my friend's Dad about how you didn't have to be gay to watch the lesbian coming of age drama Sugar Rush on Channel 4 - "good TV is just good TV." Even when they knew I watched "gay TV" people should know I was straight.

The reality was I was a young girl unable to understand the feelings I was having for other women - or perhaps, more accurately, the of feelings I was having for my boyfriends at the time.

I discovered the website AfterEllen.com (named after Ellen DeGeneres - our Lesbian Queen), which basically shared information on every lesbian or bisexual character in TV or film at the time, and I'd spend hours binging entire seasons of shows I'd never heard of or watching special fan edits on YouTube which only included the scenes between the characters who were gay. I wasted so much time watching utterly awful content, often in languages I don't speak, just for that feeling of being "seen."

My family was liberal enough, if a little clueless. When I finally came out at 19 there wasn't a big shouting match or a huge fuss. I didn't get thrown out or lectured about my sins. My Mum just said "oh," and my Dad gave me a hug and told me a lot had changed since his day. I tiptoed out of the closet with a bruised ego, a broken heart and the knowledge that my parents still loved me.

But I still didn't know how to be gay.

The problem with being part of an unrepresented group is twofold. Firstly, you feel ashamed to even exist. Imagine a young trans child in America right now. If the only thing you hear about transgender people is the discussion about whether or not they should get to use a particular bathroom; if the only trans characters you see on TV are the victims on true crime shows; if your school refuses to teach you about gender identity, how could you possibly have the tools to come to terms with your own?
READ: The Future of Trans Actor Visibility
Secondly, a lack of representation puts you at the mercy of those willing to give it to you - usually straight, white, cisgender men in suits. The pervading stereotypes given to the LGBT+ community are - the fabulously fashionable yet vapid gay man, the boring lesbian who dies, the greedy indecisive bisexual, the predatory trans woman and the non-existent trans man.

It's true you can't expect every queer character to represent their entire demographic, but when representation is so thin on the ground that's exactly what happens. It's not enough anymore to give superficial scraps to a community that deserves three-dimensional characters. More than that, it's absolutely the responsibility of those in power to educate themselves on what the community needs.

An actor friend of mine (a trans man) recently expressed his exasperation that whenever he went to an audition, he felt he always had to act as a sort of script editor as well as an actor - as if the importance of being true to the experience of a trans person came as an afterthought to the writer's original thoughts. While it's great that people are starting to realise that a trans perspective is valuable, it isn't the job of the people at the end of the process to fix holes that needn't have been there in the first place.

The way to combat this is simple: have more LGBT+ writers, directors and producers behind the scenes! This is not to say straight people can't write gay or bisexual characters, or that cis writers shouldn't invest in trans roles, yet it's often obvious when stories have been co-opted to make a writer feel more "woke."

For example, I saw a play once about a self-identified straight man having feelings for someone who didn't conform to a traditional gender identity. I went because, as a cis woman who has trans friends, I wanted to support work about the community and gain an insight into their stories. Within ten minutes it became clear the writer knew even less about what it meant to be trans than I do, to the extent that he didn't even know what transgender meant.

After the show, I asked one of the actors if the writer had spoken to any trans people during the process and the answer was, of course, no. The writer was a straight man who "has lots of gay friends" - a bunch of cis, straight people were patting themselves on the back for telling LGBT+ stories without bothering to engage with the community at This story is sadly not atypical, so it's clearly time to get more queer people working behind the scenes. Commission trans writers to write plays, hire gay women to cast TV shows, talk to LGBT+ audiences before you shoot that film about their icon. Use us, hire us, involve us.

Yet things are definitely improving. Matthew Lopez' gay play The Inheritance cleaned up at the recent Olivier Awards. Fun Home, a musical about butch lesbian Alison Bechdel, won big at the 2015 Tonys. Laverne Cox continuously flies the flag for trans women and new shows like Killing Eve, Gentleman Jack and Years & Years consistently write LGBT+ characters that are full of three-dimensional life.

And with these stories and the characters whose lives they explore, comes a better understanding of the complexities of the LGBT+ experience. Every new, well-built character is worth so much more than a place in world. They live on in the experiences of future teenagers who sit in their room binging the latest season of Orange is the New Black, or revelling in the story of Elton John's rise to fabulousness. More than that, they humanise LGBT+ people in the eyes of the would-be homophobes who instead learn to see us as what we are - human.

But this continued forward momentum isn't guaranteed. Even now there are people trying to limit the reach of non-hetero cis stories by boycotting or even outright banning them. A recent episode of the cartoon Arthur was taken off air in the state of Alabama because it included a gay wedding. In Russia, the Elton John biopic Rocketman was re-edited to make it less gay (read that again...an Elton John biopic made LESS GAY!?). Even when we manage to get decent representation and well-written characters who don't fall into cliche we're faced with calls of "the gay agenda" and "political correctness gone mad!"
READ: Taron Egerton Hits Out at Russian Censorship of 'Rocketman'
Closer to home is what happened in Southampton recently, when the cast of the award-winning play Rotterdam were the victims of a homophobic and transphobic attack. It forced them to cancel that night's performance and it reminded all of the LGBT+ community that we're still "other."

So, keep fighting for LGBT+ representation, and keep championing the stories we're still trying to get told. Keep supporting art that supports us and lend your voice to the discussion on why representation is so vitally important.

Do it because it means better art, do it because it means exciting stories, and do it so that the next generation of teenagers trying to find who they are don't have to lock themselves away in a metaphorical closet to do so.

For more from Backstage UK, check out the magazine.

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auditions | casting calls | open casting calls | casting call | open casting call

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Why LGBT+ Representation In Theatre, Film & TV Is Still so Important

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When I was younger I used to watch bootlegs of The L Word after school. My teenage self would find links online and binge season upon season of the American show about a group of strong, independent queer women and dream about which character I wanted to be.

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Are LGBTQ people in the UK celebrated authentically? Or whether so-called support for this community is merely an example of tokenistic exploitation.

We have seen that corporations (such as retail stores and banks)  'support' Pride as a way to show that they care. Even though they only do this for more media recognition and to stay relevant (it can be seen as a trend).

TV shows and Films in the UK also do this. They have characters that are LGBTQ in relationships (mostly played by heterosexual actors) to bring in the LGBTQ demographic while the main (more important) romantic relationship of the Film or TV show is heterosexual. These shows are written and produced by non LGBTQ people.

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In a time where queer people are demanding visibility on mainstream platforms, the LGBTQ community is asking how TV shows and organisations can elevate queer identities without mistaking people for props.
Shows like Will & Grace, The L Word and Orange Is the New Black have paved the way in giving visibility to LGBTQ characters in starring roles. However, records show UK adverts and TV shows featuring same-sex parents or gay intimacy continue to be among the most complained about year after year. Last week, it was announced that the UK census will ask about sexual orientation and gender identity for the very first time. If we compare this with last year's report of the 16% LGBTQ pay gap despite a corporate embrace of Pride, questions must be asked as to whether LGBTQ people in the UK are celebrated authentically, or whether so-called support for this community is merely an example of tokenistic exploitation.

Long-running soap operas like EastEnders and Coronation Street are hailed as pillars of British culture, and none have been without their share of LGBTQ characters over the years. UK Soaps have acted as a major channel of communication since the 1960s, so the addition of these LGBTQ characters would have likely been the first time many Brits would become exposed to same-sex intimacies in the media.

As a result, many of these gay-centric storylines in British soap were historically subjected to accusations of spreading "sexual propaganda" to children. Deemed inappropriate for families, LGBTQ storylines were harshly dismissed as being crude and provocative. But, while much of that hostility has since subsided, British soaps are now not striking a chord with the LGBTQ audience themselves, over a persistent failure to assign queer actors in queer roles.

An overwhelming majority of UK Soap actors that play queer characters do not identify accordingly. This is an issue for many members of the LGBTQ community, primarily because it extends far beyond this one example. Disparities in how straight actors are very often sourced for gay roles, but not vice versa, has been a long-running theme that sees many LGBTQ people contemplating British broadcasting's virtue signalling nature.

Are these preventative measures against allowing queer role models to have more exposure in the industry, even if they should generally be more favoured? This year, film producer Wash Westmoreland told Insider that LGBTQ actors often had greater access to the emotions involved in queer characters' experiences. He went on to say he casts most of his film roles with this in mind.

But what about an example done right? Last year saw dystopic drama Years & Years take the BBC. In its 15-year forecast of political and technological advancements, intricate dilemmas are spun when a gay love story between a UK housing officer and a Ukrainian refugee is as much about their same-sex love as it is about the complexities of political developments that infringe upon their comfortable assimilation into society.

Then, in scenes that parallel the Chechnya crisis and the drowning of Alan Kurdi, Years & Years stitches together themes of politics and immigration with sexuality and human compassion so that the characters in question become no more defined by their sexualities than they are by their position as asylum seekers. Here, 'gayness' is explored within a bigger story - a wider context - rather than being the story itself. As a consequence, shedding light on scenarios beyond typical gay storyboarding have allowed shows like this to foster positive visibility that results in earnest and more powerful explorations into LGBTQ lives.

UK television has come a long way since the cries of Little Britain's "unconvincing transvestite" Emily Howard insisting, to a chorus of pre-recorded chortles, that she is a lady. Characters like Emily, or Matt Lucas' Daffyd Thomas, were hurtful tropes used to position queer people as the butt of every joke. Pressure from marginalised groups means "LGBTQ" is conceptualized in much broader terms and is finally beginning to be painted in a palette of more than only pinks. For example, society has made progress in acknowledging transness, and this is in part due to the undeniable impact of shows like Pose.

Pose is a pioneering period drama focusing on ballroom culture in the 1980s; a recital of the lives of African-American and Latinx gender-nonconformers that touches on many prevalent issues such as financial hardship, family abandonment and the spread of HIV and AIDS. It holds the accolade boasting the highest number of transgender series regulars. This momentous step is one in the right direction, acting in support of what is the single most underrepresented and overlooked group within the community.

Transness was also explored on ITV's Butterfly, which took an interesting turn when it documented the intimate story of an 11-year-old child who becomes exposed to the revelation that she is a trans girl. For parents and children alike, Butterfly revealed itself as an informative, educational tool about living with gender dysphoria, dealing with its sensitivities and ultimately acknowledging transness as a tangible reality of our world. Within its story, the show features the real-life transgender advocacy organisation, Mermaids. Its inclusion into the show acts as an example of positive visibility and, more importantly, outreach to the transgender community. As such, these approaches to tackling the misrepresentation of our struggling, marginalised communities are poles apart from the asinine forms of parody that taunted gay and transgender viewers on shows like Two Pints... or Little Britain.

When we deal with tokenism in TV, we should look for what degree of care is being taken to portray queer characters as more than just their sexuality. Ultimately, while trans representation is up 400% since previous generations, an overwhelming 72% of LGBTQ people still believe their representation in advertising is tokenistic.

Social attitudes are shifting, but a balance needs to be struck. Allowing LGBTQ people to write sentiments, and then speak them, is integral to ensuring authentic messages get heard. As a nation, we sit in front of our televisions every evening, and that is how we relax. But what about those of us who see an absence of identifiable characters portrayed positively in the programmes that are being watched? What about those who feel insulted or ignored by what they do - or don't - see?

The existence of queer TV characters done correctly is seemingly small, but nonetheless important. Improving the way that LGBTQ characters are broadcast to the impressionable masses is just one way that the real people who relate to those characters can feel a sense of positive validation that is rooted in good will, not bad taste.

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Television needs more LGBT representation - not tokenism

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In a time where queer people are demanding visibility on mainstream platforms, the LGBTQ community is asking how TV shows and organisations can elevate queer identities without mistaking people for props. Shows like Will & Grace, The L Word and Orange Is the New Black have paved the way in giving visibility to LGBTQ characters in starring roles.

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Where Are All The Happy Queer And Non-Binary Stories?

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Where Are All The Happy Queer And Non-Binary Stories?

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It seems that most Queer love stories are often mishandled and fall victim to tropes like the “kill your gays” theme we see so often, where queer characters exist only for sorrow, with stories of sad poignancy, with the ultimate denouement of a queer relationship ending in death or loss.

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Earlier this year, when I was re-watching Ari Aster's excellent film Midsommar, I realised that I received the main character, Dani, as trans. There is no explicit evidence in the movie to contextualise this claim, it was more just a feeling. Dani is uncomfortable in her life, recovering from trauma and compromising herself in order to gain acceptance from her peers. Then, she happens upon a new family, who welcome and celebrate her as she is: damaged, in need of healing, suffering at the hands of a thoughtless boyfriend. It's perhaps a shaky reading in places, but one that brings me great joy whenever I re-watch the film.

I'm a big fan of horror movies, but across all genres, I can safely say that there aren't many instances of trans or queer representation in cinema that end happily, in fact I struggle to think of any - though we're edging there, slowly, with films such as Tangerine and ongoing series such as Pose. Yet, for queer people, this lack of representation means that we have to overlay our own narratives on media to make it relevant to our lives and our experiences. Our love stories are often mishandled and fall victim to tropes and memes, like the "kill your gays" theme we see so often, where queer characters exist only for sorrow, with stories of sad poignancy, with the ultimate denouement of a queer relationship ending in death or loss.

This has an unfortunate impact on how queer people are received in the wider world, of course. Though it happens less frequently now, I have vivid memories of coming out to various people and receiving hugs of consolation, rather than celebration. I often wonder how much of my own view of my sexuality, my gender identity, has been informed by the reactions of others.

I'm a non-binary person, meaning that I don't identify particularly with either the male or female gender. Since I came out as such, I've begun to notice things as they relate to gender: How I'm received, how I'm spoken to, how I'm flirted with, and so on. It's an act of perpetual mindfulness to understand how much other people's interactions with me may have contributed to my reluctance to deal with my gender variance. I've never been comfortable as "one of the boys", and yet I feel a visitor in groups of women, too. When I came out, I realised the importance of feeling seen as non-binary, of being received as a person who was neither strictly male or female. It's important for us to be welcomed as we are - and ultimately, it's damaging when we aren't.

For a while, in my twenties, I despaired of the fact that I felt so alien amongst other gay men. I couldn't explain why I felt so out of place, but it was a visceral feeling that left me sure I would never find a partner, let alone someone who could tolerate me. There was just... something that felt off, and I couldn't put my finger on it. At the time, I most likely put it down to the depression I have suffered with for most of my life. But, looking at it with fresh eyes now, I understand it.

I spent most of my youth knowing that I was different from my friends, but I was sure once I found gay friends, once I found the fabled chosen family, that I would thrive - yet it didn't happen that way initially. I was raised during the era of Section 28, so there were gaps in my education, but I feel I knew more about gay people than most of my friends, as a lot of my parents' friends and colleagues were gay. It took me longer to learn about trans people. In fact, it was only thanks to the social media boom of recent years that I learned about the true wonder of gender variant people.

When I recognised myself as a non-binary person, I made sure that people knew, that people understood that I was done with my male gender. It did have an effect on the way I was received, and the way that people interacted with me. I felt the burden of expectation drop sharply and felt the confidence to state plainly the ways I would be respected. This is important for me, but it's infinitely more important for the people coming up behind me to know that this is possible, this is acceptable, and that you will still be loved. Finding a "logical family", as Armistead Maupin termed it, is a process that won't always be right the first time, because you have to find yourself first. And to find yourself, it helps to be able to see yourself in others.

We need more representation of queer and gender non-comforming people on our screens and in our media, because we are a fact of life, traceable to indigenous and historical societies stretching back centuries. If we don't, then what do we have left? We are left to paste ourselves into insufficient narratives, like Dani from Midsommar attempting to assimilate into a murderous cult. We need more positive queer stories upon which to model our hopes and aspirations. The next generation is waiting for them.

I want to close out with a rather long quote from Harvey Fierstein from The Celluloid Closet, the seminal 1995 documentary about the treatment of LGBTQIA+ people in film, which sums up everything I feel on the subject: "All the reading I was given to do in school was always heterosexual, every movie I saw was heterosexual, and I had to do this translation. I had to translate it to my life rather than seeing my life. Which is why, when people say to me, 'Your work is not really gay work, it's universal.' And I say, 'Up yours. It's gay. And that you can take it, and translate it to your own life, is very nice, but, at last, I don't have to do the translating. You do.'"
More from British Vogue:

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Where Are All The Happy Queer And Non-Binary Stories?

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Erin Paterson on why there is a long way to go when it comes to representations of trans and gender variant people in mainstream media. Shows like Pose represent a positive step, they write, but too often "our love stories are mishandled and fall victim to tropes and memes".

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Transgender people are vastly under-represented on and off screen

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Transgender people are vastly under-represented on and off screen

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Those identifying as transgender make just 0.2% of off-screen contributions, whereas estimates indicate they represent 0.8% of the population.

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Report shows TV industry diversity still has some way to go

The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) has published the third report from its "Diamond" diversity monitoring and reporting project.

The data gathered for the report represent 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, Channel 5/ViacomCBS and Sky) and broadcast between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019.

Diamond: The Third Cut reveals that while some progress has been made - women are now represented in line with the overall working population both on and off-screen and BAME on-screen representation is higher when compared to the UK national population - these same two groups remain absent from many senior creative roles, BAME individuals are under-represented in off-screen roles more generally, and the over 50s are also largely under-represented across the industry.

The industry as a whole shows a lack of employment of disabled people. The overall UK national figure for working age disabled people is 17%; Diamond: The Third Cut reveals that disabled people are only making 5.2% of contributions off-screen and 7.8% on-screen - figures which have flatlined over the past three reports.

For the first time, Diamond: The Third Cut includes a breakdown across the different diversity characteristics by broadcaster, along with analysis based around genre, role type, peak vs non-peak hours and seniority, allowing CDN to provide the most comprehensive and statistically accurate picture of diversity in across the UK's television landscape.

Collectively, CDN and its members are already using the Diamond data to tackle the under-representation of disabled people working in the industry through the Doubling Disability project, which aims to double the number of people working in off-screen production roles. CDN will also be using the data to undertake a more in-depth analysis of how Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups are represented across the industry.

Deborah Williams, CDN Executive Director said: "Diamond: The Third Cut provides a comprehensive and robust insight into diversity in the UK television industry. The 30,000 individual submissions this year provide invaluable information which broadcasters and producers are using to set, adjust and monitor their own diversity initiatives. While this third report does present examples of good progress, there are many areas where more needs to be done. The opportunity to share broadcaster comparisons for the first time makes it clear that many of the trends are due to systemic structural barriers and processes long embedded in the industry as a whole. That is why collective, sustained and large-scale action is required if we want to make significant change."
BELOW ARE THE HEADLINE FINDINGS OF THE REPORT
Overall off-screen contributions
Disabled people make just 5.2% of contributions off-screen, far lower than the national workforce estimate (17%).

Over-50s make 20.6% of off-screen contributions, compared to the national workforce estimate of 31%.

Those identifying as transgender make just 0.2% of off-screen contributions, whereas estimates indicate they represent 0.8% of the population.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are slightly under-represented in this year's figures, making 12.3% of contributions compared to 13% national workforce estimate.

Overall on-screen contributions
Those who identify as female, transgender, BAME, and lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) are all represented on-screen in line with (or exceeding) national population estimates.

Disabled people and over-50s are both still under-represented on-screen, making 7.8% and 24.6% of contributions respectively.

Peak vs non-peak
Individuals who are female, BAME or disabled are all making significantly fewer on-screen contributions in peak programmes compared to off-peak programmes
Broadcaster comparison
The percentage of those who are BAME and working off-screen on BBC programmes is comparatively low (9.6%); however, on-screen contributions by BAME (26.6%), female (55.8%) and disabled (9.4%) people are comparatively higher than other broadcasters.

Although Channel 4 has very few contributions by over-50s in off-screen production roles (11.9%), representation in roles off-screen by those who are female (55.9%), BAME (16.2%) and LGB (16.1%) are higher compared to some other broadcasters.

ITV has significantly higher numbers of contributions by transgender people in their programmes on-screen (2.4%), compared to other broadcasters and national population estimates (0.8). However, ITV has comparatively low on-screen representation by those who are over 50 (20.9%) and disabled people (4.6%).

Both on and off-screen, Sky has comparatively high representation by those who are over 50 (37.8% on-screen, 28% off-screen). However, off-screen contributions by disabled people are comparatively low (2.8%)

Channel 5 has comparatively low levels of contributions by women working both on (44.7%) and off-screen (46%) on their commissioned programmes; but on-screen, Channel 5 has a very high number of LGB people making programme contributions (18.1%).

Genres
Representation of disabled people is very low across every genre, both on and off-screen, with particularly low proportions of on-screen contributions in drama (3.5%) and comedy (4.3%) programmes.

Off screen, disabled people are making fewer than 5% of contributions in children's (4.9%), comedy (4.5%), drama (4.7%), entertainment (4.8%) and factual (4%) programmes, despite accounting for 17% of the working-age population.

BAME representation is much higher on-screen compared to off-screen across all genres except current affairs, where off-screen contributions (23.4%) slightly exceed on-screen (22.6%). This disparity is particularly noticeable for drama programmes, where on-screen BAME contributions (26.4%) are more than three times higher than off-screen (8.6%).

In children's and comedy programmes, there are almost twice as many on-screen contributions made by BAME groups (30.3% and 24.9% respectively) compared to off-screen (10.6% and 11.3%);

Role types and seniority
Women, transgender, BAME and disabled people are less well represented more generally in senior roles compared to non-senior roles.

Women in senior roles are more likely to be Heads of Production, (85.8%), commissioning editor (64.6%) and producer (60.1%), and far less likely to be directors (26.2%) or writers (38.1%).

BAME individuals are under-represented in many key senior roles such as series producer (4.4%), head of production (8.3%), director (8.6%) and writer (9.1%).

Gary Davey, CEO, Sky Studios said: "We will only be able to achieve real change armed with comprehensive and reliable data and that is exactly what Diamond is now delivering. The third report makes the information even more powerful with the addition of analysis across production roles and across genres. I am a big fan of Diamond. For the first time we can force the pace of change, based on evidence."

Dame Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV said: "Our commissioning and production teams are now using Diamond data to help drive improvements in representation both on and off screen and to track progress against our diversity targets. The Third Cut is providing diversity data in greater detail than before - for instance by role type - which will help us to improve representation in key creative roles, like writers and directors.

John McVay, CEO, Pact said: "Diamond continues to provide a solid framework to inform our work to make the industry inclusive both on and off screen. With the third cut, for the first time we can see a much more detailed picture which includes data on role types and genres. This is a significant step forward in helping the sector to focus its efforts and investment."

Jill Offman, CDN Chair and Managing Director, Viacom International Studios UK, ViacomCBS said: "Diamond's data sets our industry apart from any other, raising vital questions and providing essential insights for all the main UK broadcasters to act upon. 30,000 responses are informing our third year of data providing us with a uniquely large and robust data set on diversity. The challenge for us now is to collectively balance maintaining the momentum we have generated whilst directing our focus towards areas where we are lacking."

Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4, said: "Diamond is already playing a vital role revealing insights into the diverse make-up of the broadcast industry and helping inform broadcasters and programme makers where we need to focus energies to improve representation both on and off screen."

Tony Hall, BBC Director General said: "Diamond offers a vital health check for the TV industry and we will continue to work with the CDN and our broadcasting partners to learn from the results and improve what we do."

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Report shows TV industry diversity still has some way to go - Televisual

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Report shows TV industry diversity still has some way to go The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) has published the third report from its "Diamond" diversity monitoring and reporting project.

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Screenwriter gender inequality in the British TV and Film industry

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Screenwriter gender inequality in the British TV and Film industry

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BFI are trying to improve their diversity. 

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BFI are trying to improve their diversity. 

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In 2017, BFI Film Fund director Ben Roberts, announced crucial changes to the Film Fund’s guidelines, including announcing a series of targets to improve representations. To be put into place from April 1, 2018, the targets are:

A 50-50 gender balance in supported filmmakers

20% target for BAME filmmakers

9% target for LGBTQ-identifying filmmakers

7% target for filmmakers with a disability

I believe this should be praised as they have taken the initiative to set targets to be met by a certain date.

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British-Latin-Americans are under-represented on and off camera in British TV

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British-Latin-Americans are under-represented on and off camera in British TV

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A new study says Latinos were better represented in front of and behind the cameras in the 1950s than they are today. The same report asserts that stereotyping of Latinos in English-Language Films and TV shows is worse than it was 20 years ago.

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A new study says Latinos were better represented in front of and behind the cameras in the 1950s than they are today. The same report asserts that stereotyping of Latinos in English-language movies and TV shows is worse than it was 20 years ago.

The 44-page report from Columbia University, called "The Latino Media Gap: A Report on the State of Latinos in U.S. Media" ( read it here), was a collaboration of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race's Media and Idea Lab at Columbia University, the Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. It found that while the more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S. make up 17% of the population, there were no leading roles for Latino actors among the top 10 movies and scripted network TV shows in all of 2013. By contrast, Latinos on average made up only 2.8% of the U.S. population in the 1950s but accounted for 3.9% of lead actor roles and 1.5% of all leading roles.

"With few exceptions," the report found, "Latino participation in mainstream English-language media is stunningly low. A review of the top movies and television programs reveals that there is a narrower range of stories and roles, and fewer Latino lead actors in the entertainment industry today than there were 70 years ago. Likewise, whereas the Latino population grew more than 43% from 2000 to 2010, the rate of media participation behind and in front of the camera, and across all genres and formats, stayed stagnant or grew only slightly, at times proportionally declining."

Related: DeadlineNow: Film Producers Urged To Court Hispanic Moviegoers

And despite decades of promises from the networks to increase minority representation behind the cameras, the report found that "the main strategy employed by most media companies over the last decades - the creation of diversity executive positions and departments - has been relatively ineffective in increasing diversity in both creative and leadership pools."

The report found that from 2010-2013, Latinos comprised none of the top 10 TV show creators, 1.1% of producers, 2% of writers, and 4.1% of directors. Among top 10 movies, Latinos accounted for 2.3% of directors, 2.2% of producers, and 6% of writers. Even more dramatic, no Latinos currently serve as studio heads, network presidents, CEOs, or owners. The report also found that there was only one Latina among the top 53 executives at the studios and in all of English-language broadcasting.

The report does not include the representation of Latinos working in front of and behind the cameras at Spanish-language broadcasters such as Univision and Telemundo, where the number of non-Hispanic writers, directors, producers, actors and executives is as low as the number of their Latino counterparts working in English-language media - a new twist on the old phrase "separate but equal." Univision isn't even mentioned in the report, and Telemundo is only cited in a footnote.

The report's conclusions on the subject of stereotyping of Latinos in English-language movies and TV shows is equally damning.

"On television and movies, Latinos continue to be represented primarily as criminals, law enforcers, and cheap labor," according to the report. "From 2012 to 2013, 17.7% of Latino film characters and 24.2% of TV characters were linked to crime, a considerable increase from 1994, when it was only 6% on television ... Equally important, 69% of iconic media maids in film and television since 1996 are Latina."

Latino men, meanwhile, "have disappeared as leading actors," the report claims, though the percentage of Latinas and Afro-Latino actors is rising.

Related: EMMYS: 'Devious Maids' Second Life After Its Death At ABC

The report further found that "news is worse than fiction." "Stories about Latinos constitute less than 1% of news media coverage," according to the report, "and the majority of these stories feature Latinos as lawbreakers. Moreover, Latino participation in front and behind the camera is extraordinarily low: as of 2013, there were no Latino anchors or executive producers in any of the nation's top news programs."

The report concluded: "Latinos are a powerful force in American society. Topping 53 million, Latinos constitute one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States, comprising 17% of the population and over 20% of the key 18-34 marketing demographic. Relative to the general population, Latinos also attend more movies and listen to radio more frequently than do any other U.S. racial or ethnic group. In addition, their purchasing power is steadily increasing. By 2015, Hispanic buying power is expected to reach $1.6 trillion. To put this figure in perspective, if U.S. Latinos were to found a nation, that economy would be the 14th largest in the world. Moreover, they are watchful of their image: When programs or films are perceived to have anti-Latino content, advocacy groups and consumers target studios and networks with increasingly effective campaigns. Simultaneously, programs and movies featuring compelling Latino talent and storylines are rewarded with high ratings and revenue."

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Study: Latinos Mostly Ignored Or Stereotyped In English-Language Films & TV

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A new study says Latinos were better represented in front of and behind the cameras in the 1950s than they are today. The same report asserts that stereotyping of Latinos in English-language movies and TV shows is worse than it was 20 years ago.

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OFCOM report regarding representation in the BBC 

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OFCOM report regarding representation in the BBC 

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It seems that the majority of the popular tv shows in the uk are created and written by white men and women.

Some minority ethnic and LGBTQ+ artists are vastly under-represented behind the camera.

Some minority ethnic groups like Latin Americans and Oriental Asians are under-represented in-front and behind the camera.

Unfortunately disabled people have it the hardest with under-representation on and off screen

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Can diversity in the UK TV and Film industry change?

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Can diversity in the UK TV and Film industry change?

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Yes. yes it can.

In 2020, black writer and actress Michaela Coel released her semi-autobiographical TV show on BBC (and HBO) about a woman dealing with her sexual assault.

Also in 2020, critically acclaimed British black director Steve McQueen released his anthology series all about police brutality and racial issues in the UK. Although would he have gotten the chance to make it if he wasn't already an established director with an Oscar nomination.

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You'd be forgiven for thinking that British TV in 2020 is incredibly and impressively diverse. Just flick through the channels - something more of us have been doing since the start of this current pandemic - and you'll find that 23 percent of on-screen talent between August 2018 and July 2019 were of BAME origin*. 6.6 per cent of that figure is made up of Black actors which seems pretty good going if compared to how many Black people live in the UK - 3.3 per cent to be exact.

But delve a little deeper and behind the scenes you'll find that the latest available figures from Directors UK show that in 2016 only 2.3 per cent of television episodes aired by UK broadcasters were directed by BAME directors - proving that when it comes to senior roles within TV - heck any role behind the camera - Black (and brown) people are rarely part of the creative process.

'Working as a black female director in this industry has often felt like banging my head against a brick wall and a glass ceiling. There have been several points throughout my career where I've felt like I'd have more luck directing traffic then TV, because no one was willing to give me a break. I've been judged by a lot of white, middle-class men, who don't know anything about you, but suddenly, you're excluded. Often it's just this feeling that it's me going round in circles trying to fulfil these never-ending lists of expectations, that they wouldn't ask of other people, and when I've spoken up, I've been silenced by: "You've got a chip on your shoulder", or: "You're playing the race card", 'shares award-winning drama director Christiana Ebohon-Green.

Attempting to diversify British TV has been a long road, and while there are organisations like the trade association PACT whose inclusion and diversity arm aims to help broadcasters and independent production companies develop their diversity policies, in order to recruit as widely as possible both in terms of their staff and their creative on and off screen talent. 'There's still a long way to go,' says their head of inclusion and diversity, Anjani Patel. 'As an industry we recognise that we need to get better at being more inclusive off-screen and dismantling the culture of nepotism behind the scenes in order to diversify positions of power,' she adds.

British TV can do better

Some may call it a 'culture of nepotism', while others like Black British, Oscar winning director, Steve McQueen, would call it 'blatant racism'. Speaking out after his first production in the UK in 12 years directing Small Axe, six films commissioned by the BBC about the black experience from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s. McQueen shared in an op-ed in the Observer, that when they shot two episodes outside of London in Wolverhampton, they had tax breaks, incentives, and financial support, but the only BAME people were the drivers and one electrician. While 'in terms of heads of departments, it was just myself, and a couple of other people who were Black British. We did our best on Small Axe, but it was not good enough. The culture of the industry has to change. It's just not healthy. It's wrong. And yet, many people in the industry go along with it as if it is normal', said McQueen.

Read next

It seems they go along with it because this systemic racism suits them and because of their own biases. These biases are born from years of structural and cultural racism, and the embedding of stereotypes through the very narratives they create on screen. This is why diversity behind the camera is so important. It's not simply about what is right and wrong it's about the way in which predominantly white productions fuel this nations and the world's prejudices.

What we end up with are programmes that lack authenticity, and it starts from the top. Historically British TV has been rife with stereotypical black characters, while factual programming has often glossed over Black history, or ignored it altogether. Now as the Government reviews the funding of one of our biggest broadcasters, the BBC, it's become commercially imperative that they like other private broadcasters create content that appeals to a diverse audience. But if the profile of commissioners remains the same, as it has done for decades - white, male, privileged - then we will continue to watch inaccurate stories depicting what they think are the experiences of black people namely - gangs, drugs, and violence.

'I have fought against directors who seem to subconsciously believe that educated black people are somehow inauthentic, as if being uneducated and unlettered is the natural, authentic condition for people with dark skin. These tropes, this sort of unexamined thinking, when left unchallenged, can reinforce the very stereotypes and inequalities that we should be challenging,' said broadcaster and historian David Olusoga, in his keynote speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival. And it's these unrealistic tropes that are seeing diverse audiences turn their backs on traditional TV and have driven Black people out of the industry.

Believing himself a survivor rather than a success story, Olusoga shared that he is 'one of the last men standing of TV's lost generation. The generation of black and brown people who entered this industry 15, 20, 25 years ago with high hopes,' but have been forced out due to the industries failure to support and invest in their careers. He believes, had this lost generation of Black and brown talent been nurtured they would now be among the leaders of the TV and film industry and stereotyping and inexcusable missteps like the BBC allowing and then initially defending a white reporter using the N word in a news report would never have occurred.

A time for change

But it did, and in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and the subsequent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, we have now entered a time of reckoning where to be silent is to complicit. 'Organisations are beginning to really sit up and pay attention. There's more open discussion being had in the last few months. It's a positive step, but unfortunate that despite Black people highlighting the existence of institutional racism for decades, there seems to be more validity to this now that white people are speaking out and concurring,' says Deborah Williams, executive director at Creative Diversity Network, a non-profit founded by the major UK broadcasters to facilitate diversity and inclusivity.

The BBC aired Michaela Cole's I May Destroy You, where the Black British actor and writer was able to share her own disturbing experiences of assault and racism to a mainstream audience, and of course Small Axe will hit our screens soon too. The BBC have also pledged 100 million pounds to invest in increasing diversity and have given themselves a 20 per cent mandatory diversity target for off screen production teams. 'We will be focusing on making sure we attract diverse talent, and no hiring manager can recruit without going through official channels, while no one will be promoted unless they can demonstrate that they have increased diversity within their teams, as we are focused on progressing a developing diverse talent' explained the BBC's head of Creative Diversity, Miranda Wayland.

'I May Destroy You' navigates sexual assault in a brave and honest way

Major production companies like Banijay are following suit, admitting that BLM has been a driver for the company to educate itself more and to try and understand the landscape better. 'As a business we are braver about the words we used, we probably wouldn't have used the words 'racism' in previous years,' says Bella Lambourne, HR and Operations Director at Banijay UK. A scary thought, as how does a company who own stakes in over 120 production companies that produce shows like Peaky Blinders, Big Brother and Black Mirror, combat something you can't even say out loud? Now that they and others are, we are seeing paid work placements, diversity schemes, a ban on informal hiring practices, the likes of Lenny Henry hosting events educating mid and senior level programme makers on the importance of diversity, and BAFTA's wide-ranging rule changes to boost diversity.

Racism is rampant on reality tv and Netflix's Million Dollar Beach House is just the tip of the iceberg

This will undoubtedly lead to better, more authentic TV for everyone, because 'diverse teams from the top down ensures more diversity of thought, enabling directors of all races to tell well rounded stories that aren't told through one lens to satisfy only one audience,' shares Jan Genesis, multi-camera director and Directors UK Directors of Colour Committee chair.

Finally, it looks like we are on the cusp of real and lasting change!

*Creative Diversity Network, Diamond Report

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The UK TV and film industry has had a real problem with diversity but is that finally set to change?

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You'd be forgiven for thinking that British TV in 2020 is incredibly and impressively diverse. Just flick through the channels - something more of us have been doing since the start of this current pandemic - and you'll find that 23 percent of on-screen talent between August 2018 and July 2019 were of BAME origin*.

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My friend Yoo Song is Korean (born and raised in the UK) and when I asked about his views on the representation of Oriental Asians (on and off screen) in British TV, he stated;

"Oriental asians are under-represented and seem to follow many typical representations of Asian culture when represented in British media. I think in the US, Asian culture is better represented compared to their British counterparts as there are a higher number of Asian-Americans with a louder voice than that of the UK. I feel like British media still don't know how to handle Asian characters in their media. I don't know about  those who work behind the camera, because I don't know many Asian people working in the TV and FIlm industry in the first place. This applies to all Asians, (Indians and Pakistanis) not just Oriental Asians."

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East Asians are under-represented and stereotyped

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East Asians are under-represented and stereotyped

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British East Asians are fighting to have their stories told. Organisations such as the British East Asians in Theatre and on Screen (BEATS) showcase new work and talent for Asian artists who can't get work at British broadcasting companies like the BBC and ITV.

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Chimerica', last year's Channel 4 series set against the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, featured non-Asian actors in its leading roles (Picture: Playground)

If we were to consider the media portrayal of East Asians in the UK, we shouldn't be so surprised that a Singaporean student was punched and kicked on Oxford Street last week in an attack allegedly related to coronavirus.

Nor indeed would we be so shocked at reports of British-Chinese children suffering playground bullying in Manchester, or East Asian students being pelted with eggs in Market Harborough. It's not that the UK media's portayal of East Asians is consciously malicious.

It's more the case that these communities are relentlessly ignored, or at best confined to the outer reaches of television dramas that demand an oriental setting and exotic extras.

The result is that UK communities that have grown more substantial in the 21st Century and trace their roots to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, are marginalised. The trope of the takeaway owner who resists integration is reinforced. Young generations that have grown up British are not recognised as such.

"We have gone backwards if anything"

Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the BBC launching 'The Chinese Detective', a police procedural series starring Liverpool actor David Yip as Detective Sergeant John Ho, who took on the London underworld in his Morris Minor Traveller.

That series was "ground-breaking" says Daniel York Loh, a British Asian actor and writer, who says there has been little to compare with its since. "We have gone backwards if anything."

Strangers, ITV's 2018 Hong Kong-based crime drama, starred John Simm alongside Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong. 'Chimerica', last year's Channel 4 series set against the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, featured non-Asian actors in its leading roles.

Canadian-Korean actor Sandra Oh starred in the BBC hit Killing Eve. York Loh, who is chair of Equity's race equality committee, points out that while white British actors in the acclaimed Sky mini-series 'Chernobyl' were able to play Ukrainians and speak in their own English voices, East Asian actors seeking roles in China-based UK dramas are expected to "look very generically Chinese" and to speak Mandarin.

Invariably the roles are crude stereotypes. "East Asian females are there to be pliant lotus blossoms or older, fierce dragon ladies. East Asian males are brutish or geeky with no inner life, no charisma, wit, romantic inclinations, nothing," he complains.

"What that does is dehumanise people of East Asian heritage so that when something like coronavirus comes along..."

British East Asians are fighting to have their stories told

The Chinese government compounds the problem of dehumanisation by presenting its 1.4 billion population as a uniform body, he says. "We are packaged as this monolithic block of faceless
worker drones and that ends up getting portrayed on TV screens in the West."

British East Asians are fighting to have their stories told. Ming Ho, an award-winning writer for radio and television, praises the work of groups such as Chinese Arts Now and British East Asians in Theatre and on Screen (BEATS) for showcasing new work and talent. "We haven't traditionally been mobilised as a group and I think this is a thing which is changing with social media because we are now able to talk to each other and identify each other," she says.

Her film British People, which tells the story of a British woman of Hong Kong descent who seeks to become a Conservative MP, will feature in The Uncertain Kingdom, a project touring UK cinemas this year. "There is still a long way to go in acknowledging British East Asians as just part of normal British culture," she says. "We need to acknowledge that there are people who look East Asian who are, as far as they are concerned, totally British. They shouldn't have to be put in a story context which makes them foreign."

Further light will be shone on the lack of representation of British East Asians in UK media at the launch this month of the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity at Birmingham City University.

Marcus Ryder, a former BBC executive who is the university's new visiting professor of media diversity, says the lack of profile of East Asians in British media means they only appear when "something bad" is covered.

Ignorance surrounding coronavirus is a dangerous thing. Some East Asians have been targeted because they have been wearing face masks. On the line from Beijing, Ryder, who has been working for the Chinese media company Caixin, highlights a basic misunderstanding.

"Wearing a face mask in China is a sign of cultural consideration for those around you," he says. "If I go to the shop and don't wear a face mask, it's seen as being rude. It's understanding those cultural signals, which I didn't realise until I got here."

False representation and stereotyping allow suspicion to spread like a virus.

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No wonder East Asians are marginalised when they're ignored by television

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If we were to consider the media portrayal of East Asians in the UK, we shouldn't be so surprised that a Singaporean student was punched and kicked on Oxford Street last week in an attack allegedly related to coronavirus.

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More about BEATS (British East Asians in Theatre and on Screen)

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More about BEATS (British East Asians in Theatre and on Screen)

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British East and Southeast Asian media advocacy group BEATS has rolled out a ground-breaking new representation measure for the U.K. industry.

Launched during a virtual summit hosted by BEATS (British East Asians in Theater and on Screen), the British Film Institute (BFI) and ITV, the BEATS Test measures on-screen representation for British East and Southeast Asians in U.K. film and television productions. The initiative is fashioned after the Bechdel Test, which evaluates portrayals of women in media, and the Riz Test, a measurement of Muslim representation inspired by Riz Ahmed's rallying 2017 speech about diversity.

In order to pass the BEATS Test, a project must be able to answer "yes" to the following three questions, in which BESEA stands for British and Southeast Asians: (1) Are there two or more BESEA characters? (2) Do at least two BESEA characters speak fluent English with a British accent? (3) Does at least one BESEA character pursue their own goal separate to the white characters?

The Jan. 14 summit was the first of its kind to address issues relating to British East and Southeast Asian representation in the U.K., which is sorely lacking on and off-screen, with scarce momentum for change within the industry.

"We want this test to become the standard for the industry to achieve," explained BEATS member and actor-writer Rebecca Boey, noting that in order to pass the test, BESEA presence mustn't feel tokenistic - where a character's presence feels more like a symbolic gesture or a box tick. The test also has a keen U.K. focus, with characters expected to be British or living and/or working in the country.

BEATS presented a number of eye-opening examples, such as the "Harry Potter" film franchise, which had a single BESEA character in Cho Chang (Katie Leung) over eight films; similarly, BBC and Netflix's London-set drama "Giri/Haji" featured a number of BESEA characters, but only one spoke with a British accent.

Out of 17 films evaluated by BEATS, only three passed.

Successful films include the Andrew Leung and Ben Whishaw-starring "Lilting," which features several BESEA characters, fluent English spoken by at least two, and specific storylines for BESEA figures; as well as the 2016 film "The Receptionist," which turns on a Taiwanese graduate in London and in which BESEA characters have their own goals and story arcs. The 1986 film "Ping Pong," which featured a host of British Chinese characters, also passed with flying colors.

"It would seem that passing this test is actually quite a radical and groundbreaking achievement - and it shouldn't be that way," said Boey. "For British East and Southeast Asians to become a normalized, naturalized presence on our screen and in the fabric of British life and society, we're going to need a few more productions to make an effort to pass the BEATS Test."

Earlier this week, BEATS took aim at the BBC for the lack of representative casting in its hit Netflix co-production "The Serpent," about serial killer Charles Sobhraj, played by "A Prophet" star Tahar Rahim, a French actor of Algerian descent.

In a statement, the org argued that although the Mammoth Screen-produced show was filmed across numerous Southeast Asian countries, "none of the main cast are East/Southeast Asian, including the actor portraying half Vietnamese, half Indian Sobhraj."

Last year, BEATS called out ITV's "Singapore Grip" drama for its depiction of colonialism. Interestingly, ITV was a co-sponsor of Thursday's summit.

During the event, BEATS member and screenwriter Emma Ko also highlighted the shocking lack of BESEA representation off screen, as revealed by recent diversity data from industry bod Diamond that broke down, by ethnic background, key off-camera roles in the U.K. industry, spanning commissioning editors, writers, directors, producers, executive producers and production managers.

"The numbers are pretty bleak for anyone who is not white, but when it comes to East Asians, they were so insignificant, they were redacted," said Ko. "When we say BESEAs are working with zero inclusion in the TV industry, we are not being impressionistic or metaphorical - we are being literal."

The film industry hasn't fared much better, with just three BESEA-helmed films that have been publicly funded and theatrically released from 2000 onwards: Xialou Guo's "She, a Chinese" (2009) and Hong Khaou's "Lilting" (2014) and "Monsoon" (2019).

Ko encouraged anyone developing a BESEA or ESEA-themed project to think twice about who is hired. "If you're an all-white team and you want to make a film about the true story of the repatriated Liverpool Chinese, please do so with someone who can make that project better.

"Why hire someone to sprinkle soy sauce, when you can hire a talented BESEA team who possess the vital lived-in experience to do these stories justice and will help you bring that story to life authentically, creatively and with quality?" said Ko.
(Pictured: Henry Golding in Hong Khaou's "Monsoon")

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Where Are The U.K.'s East Asians On Screen? New Industry Test Hopes to Boost Representation (EXCLUSIVE)

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British East and Southeast Asian media advocacy group BEATS has rolled out a ground-breaking new representation measure for the U.K. industry. Launched during a virtual summit hosted by BEATS (British East Asians in Theater and on Screen), the British Film Institute (BFI) and ITV, the BEATS Test measures on-screen representation for British East and Southeast Asians in U.K.

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My friend Ashwin is Sri-Lankan (born and raised in the UK) and when I asked about his views on the representation of Asians (on and off screen) in British TV, he stated;

"I think that ‘brown people’ are under-represented especially behind the camera. I’ve seen some Indians and Pakistanis in a few BBC shows. But they definitely could have more in British TV but also more representation with every other race"

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There's a lack of British Asian talent in the industry

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There's a lack of British Asian talent in the industry

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It is widely agreed that the UK film and television industry hasn't historically developed British Asian talent for mainstream success, despite a hungry audience, and diversity targets in TV and film organisations across the board.

Asians make up around 7.5% of the UK's population and they're vastly under-represented in mainstream British TV and Film.

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Some UK cities have significant populations of Indian origin. So why is the UK film and TV industry not catering for them? We spoke to Film London's Deborah Sathe about the difficulties of shooting for British Indians and the new order of UK-India relations in film. There's a lack of British Asian talent in the industry
It is widely agreed that the UK film and television industry hasn't historically developed British Asian talent for mainstream success, despite a hungry audience, and diversity targets in TV and film organisations across the board. I have worked in radio, theatre and television and have been involved in so many short-term schemes. Too often, a training ground is created, and then it is cut. Short-term fixes do not bring about the change that is needed. It is long-term commitment, starting at a school age, which will deliver the talent.

When I took over as Head of Talent Development at Film London, I felt I was in a position to make a lasting difference through our schemes. I am half Indian and was aware that there was an untapped market, particularly when it came to Asian stories and audiences. In the inaugural year of our short-film scheme specifically for BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) talent, three of our writers/directors - Aleem Khan, Sarmad Masud and Riz Ahmed - struggled to cast their films and had to resort to street-casting. Yet, all films went on to achieve considerable success, one securing a BAFTA nomination, one now being developed by Big Talk Productions as a television show, and the other having been selected to premier at Sundance and also being developed for terrestrial television by a major corporation. This proves there is a strong commercial opportunity in making high-quality films for a diverse audience and with a diverse cast. If you look at our successful Asian stars, they are quickly taken up by the USA, and the UK industry is left hunting for their replacements, so retention is another issue.
There's a mismatch between talent pool and a growing Asian audience
The UK audience is becoming more Asian. That is a fact, which needs to be understood by the entire UK film and TV industry to ensure that commissions reflect this. If you think about it commercially and you want this audience to also buy and watch your content, you really need to be pulling up diverse storytellers and stars now. Big flagships such as X Factor, EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing attract big, diverse, young audiences, because their stars are the same.

One needs to remember that UK diversity is complicated, though, and the categories we divide everyone into aren't very helpful when we begin to drill into the specifics. Describing people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh etc. as Asian is only a UK thing. This term doesn't travel internationally. 'Asian' is a word that describes a whole bunch of people that wouldn't identify themselves as such. The diaspora is not one single community, and representing it as such in film will not translate into a gain in audiences. Whilst working on radio soap Silver Street (2004-2010), we pitted the various factions of the Asian community, Sikhs, Mirpuri Pakistanis, Gujaratis, against each other in order to make a compelling drama that exposed how Asians don't sit happily under one umbrella.
Independent Indian cinema is growing, as is their cinema-going middle class
What is often not embraced by the UK industry is how rich India has become. India is predicted to be the fastest-growing economy in the world for the second consecutive year in 2016. The traditional Indian cinema audience is massive, and Indian work sells effectively across the globe. The boom in the Indian economy has affected the belief that the UK leads the way in delivering excellence and that Indians want a slice of it. When pitching a new project to Indian investors, I discovered that having a UK partnership for the project was an important element in my favour, but a clear commercial route was more decisive.

What's more, India suffers from its own prejudices, which limits who is able to triumph as an on-screen star, and what kind of story the audience is prepared to watch. For that reason, India's independent cinema sector is more interesting for me than its mainstream. This independent industry very much wants to talk to Europe and to form relationships that enable its artistry to be recognised, and that specifically is where I'm investing my energy. Although its profitability might not be visible yet, the independent sector will yield dividends, financially and creatively, and those are the kinds of partnerships that I am encouraging now. Bollywood itself is not broken. There is no point trying to even have a finger in there. But if you think about the quickly expanding middle classes going to see independent cinema in India, this translates into a big commercial opportunity.
Stories need to be told by the people they're about
I am interested in how established British film-makers have often pulled up the image of an exotic, poor or broken India - Trishna, Marigold Hotel, even Slumdog Millionaire are all such examples. All these films are told by non-Indians, they sell to a massive international audience and omit other narratives about India that should be mainstream. Whilst I know the Indian industry is tired of listening to the story of The Lunchbox, a big-hearted and extraordinary film, it did open up a side of India and storytelling that the rest of the world needed reminding of. It is about the Indian middle class, and is a love story about a broken marriage and a woman's quest to find happiness. The film did really well here in the UK. It took £495,000 from independent cinemas, which means it was primarily speaking to a white audience. India's mainstream industry did not recognise it or its value, whilst it was being made, but once it had had its international success, it returned to Indian cinemas a hero.
There's a huge gap in the market, and no-one is filling it
It's worth asking why only Michael Winterbottom, Danny Boyle and these white male directors are going to India and taking its creativity and putting it onto the big screen. Why can I not see British Asian talent doing that and speaking to a bigger audience, and seeing it from their eyes? Surely, the next step is to make films that try to find out what, if anything, India means to a British Asian. There is a creativity gap, and I wanted - through this talent development initiative - to bring those voices together.

We must acknowledge that really good, diverse, clever storytelling appeals to all, if you do it well. We should not shy away from thinking that, just because something is Asian or Nigerian, it only speaks to Asians or Nigerians. Look at Orange Is the New Black: who would have thought that a bunch of really diverse lesbian prisoners would have such global success and enough so to redefine the Emmys? We need to start tackling our sense of who we are a little more from a humbler position, because India is a huge country, with a huge cinema-going population, so we need to find more creative and industrial ways of working with them in film and television.
Read the British Council report on India-UK relations, out on 27 October 2015. If you are a female film writer, producer or director, apply for funding through the Shakespeare's Sister initiative by 3 November 2015.

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Why are there hardly any films for British Indians?

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Some UK cities have significant populations of Indian origin. So why is the UK film and TV industry not catering for them? We spoke to Film London's Deborah Sathe about the difficulties of shooting for British Indians and the new order of UK-India relations in film.

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My sister Lucia is half Peruvian and half English (same as me). She's an aspiring actress so she's interested in the British TV/Film industry. When I asked about her views on the representations of minority groups in British TV, she said;

"There could definitely be improvement on diversity behind the camera. Surely artists with different racial backgrounds and different sexualities have different outlooks on life and slightly different challenges they face. I kinda want to see more of a range of people making shows because that way I can understand different cultures and their views on society. I mean, even if the show isn’t directly about anything social or political, just hearing a different voices seems like it can bring something unique to a show about a police detective, a period drama or an epic fantasy action show."

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Study finds that diversity can benefit the UK Film industry 

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Study finds that diversity can benefit the UK Film industry 

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BFI and the University of Leicester has found that the UK TV and Film industry will financially benefit if there is more diversity, representation and inclusivity with minority groups.

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What all my Primary Research has showed me.

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What all my Primary Research has showed me.

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It seems that my friends and family have good points and seem to support the research i have found. Although some minority groups are well represented on-screen, they all seem to be under-represented behind the camera.

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I have finally arrived after this long and winding journey. I'm far more aware of how important representation and diversity is and how it can positively impact the  UK TV/Film industry.

From the sound of a typing on a keyboard to realising that how writers and artists in minority ethnics groups are so under-represented. I feel like the issue lies with opportunity.

Yes, in my opinion (and Spike Lee's) i believe that the TV/Film industry in the UK needs to have more artists from minority ethnic groups in positions of power. Whether they are the heads of broadcasting/production companies or executive producers, there needs to be somewhere for them to make and distribute their content.

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So, here we are. Solution time!

Its such a big issue so it's no easy fix. I could set up an organisation that helps support BAME, LGBTQ and Disabled artists however a lot of them already exist.

How do i make something that is new, innovative and that can give a voice to the voiceless. That has always been my aim.

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Channel 4 = Best diversity in British TV

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Channel 4 = Best diversity in British TV

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Channel 4 more female employees, more minority ethnic employees and more disabled employees than any other broadcasting company.

Diversity and inclusivity is at the core of Channel 4.

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Women, ethnic minorities and disabled people all under-represented by TV industry

Poor monitoring is widespread: many broadcasters unaware of staff make-up

Ofcom announces range of measures to help tackle under-representation

Broadcasters need to improve the diversity of their employees, Ofcom said today, as a major study of diversity in television finds that women, ethnic-minority groups and disabled people are all under-represented in the industry.

Ofcom's report, Diversity and equal opportunities in television, uncovers the scale and nature of the diversity challenge facing the TV industry, with a focus on the main five broadcasters - the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Viacom (owner of Channel 5).

Broadcasters need to widen the range of talent working on and off screen. Too many people from minority groups struggle to get into television, creating a cultural disconnect between the people who make programmes and the millions who watch them.

Ofcom research (PDF, 268.9 KB) has found that many people do not feel broadcasters are making programmes that authentically portray their lives and communities.

Dearth of data

The report finds that many broadcasters urgently need to undertake better, more regular monitoring of the make-up of their employees. Though most provided Ofcom with information on employees' gender, the television industry could offer ethnicity data for only 81% of its workers, and disability figures for just 69%.

Broadcasters provided even less information for other characteristics: they provided no data on the age of 43% of employees, provided no information on the sexual orientation of 62% of employees, and no data on religion or belief for 67% of employees.

How the five main broadcasters compare on diversity

Disabled people appear to be significantly under-represented. Just 3% of employees across the five main broadcasters self-report as disabled, compared to 18% of the UK population. Channel 4 has the highest proportion of disabled employees at 11%, and Viacom the lowest at 1%. Four per cent of the BBC's employees are disabled. Sky provided disability information on only 2% of its employees, and ITV on fewer than half.

Sharon White, Ofcom Chief Executive, said: "Television is central to the UK's cultural landscape, society and creative economy, and we believe that creativity in broadcasting thrives on diversity of thinking.

"Today's report paints a worrying picture, with many broadcasters failing properly to monitor the make-up of their employees. We're announcing a range of measures to help close the gap between the people making programmes, and the many millions who watch them."

Action from broadcasters

While some broadcasters are already taking action (PDF, 514.9 KB) to improve diversity, a step-change across industry is required, with action needed by broadcasters.

First, broadcasters should regularly measure and monitor the make-up of their workforce to a consistently high standard, capturing every relevant protected characteristic under the Equality Act, and all main job levels and functions.

Second, Ofcom expects broadcasters to set clear diversity targets so their employees more accurately reflect the society we live in.

Third, diversity transformation should be led from the top. We want chief executives to be accountable for delivery against their diversity targets. Comprehensive diversity policies need to be embedded from the top down, with senior diversity champions leading the agenda; appraisals of senior employees against diversity objectives; and 'unconscious bias' and diversity training.

The BBC's role

As the UK's largest broadcaster, the BBC's position on diversity is likely to have a disproportionate effect on the wider industry. The BBC should be leading the way, but today's report shows its performance on most charactersitics is behind that of Channel 4.

By 2020, the BBC wants its employees to comprise 50% women, 8% disabled people, 8% lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people and 15% people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Ofcom is considering these commitments as part of our work on the BBC performance framework. We're currently reviewing all the responses to our draft operating licence for the BBC, and will finalise the licence in the autumn.

Ofcom's action

Ofcom has today announced a range of measures to supplement industry action on diversity.

Further develop our monitoring programme. Today's report is the first in a series of annual publications measuring the diversity of the TV industry, identifying which broadcasters are improving and which have more to do. We will work with broadcasters to help them to improve the quality and comparability of their data, and explore what new information can be provided to assess the social class of people in broadcasting, looking at their geographic and educational backgrounds.

Better diversity guidance. In light of today's report, we will update our diversity guidance for broadcasters. Broadcasters must have regard to this when when developing their arrangements to promote equal opportunities.

Enforcement action against broadcasters who failed to provide requireddata. 57 licensees failed to respond to our request for information before the deadline, and we have begun enforcement action.

Publishing diversity data on the radio industry. Over the coming months, we will start work on measuring the diversity of the UK radio industry.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Ofcom's Diversity and equal opportunities in television report is based on anonymised data for nearly 50,000 staff working at 347 UK broadcasters. This is separate to Diamond, an industry-wide monitoring system which aims to capture diversity data on people working on or off-screen on all UK-originated productions. See more information on Diamond.

2. Across the UK television industry as a whole, women account for 48% of employees, versus 51% of the wider population.

3. Male employees comprise 63% of Board and non-executive employees, and 59% of senior management across the UK-based industry as a whole.

4. The proportion of employees from a minority background across the UK television industry as a whole is 11%, versus 14% of the population. Ethnic-minority representation is similar within programming roles (11%) and commissioning jobs (13%).

5. Across the UK television industry as a whole, people from an ethnic minority background only make up 9% of Board and non-executive level positions, and 8% of senior-management.

6. Ofcom is considering these commitments in the context of the BBC's public purpose under the Charter, to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of the UK's nations and regions.

7. Licensees which employ more than 20 people in connection with the provision of their service and are authorised to broadcast for more than 31 days a year are required to make such arrangements.

8. In the case of the BBC, the Secretary of State would give a direction requiring the BBC's arrangements to cover additional characteristics.

9. This table shows how the main five broadcasters compare:

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Diversity of UK television industry revealed

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Women, ethnic minorities and disabled people all under-represented by TV industry Poor monitoring is widespread: many broadcasters unaware of staff make-up Ofcom announces range of measures to help tackle under-representation Broadcasters need to improve the diversity of their employees, Ofcom said today, as a major study of diversity in television finds that women, ethnic-minority groups and disabled people are all under-represented in the industry.

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At the end of the day, i think a platform for uploading content that artists has made previously would be interesting. Like an archive of British TV shows and Films that have been made by artists from minority groups.

However it needs to stay relevant, so there needs to be new and exclusive content as well. This means setting up a production company, but as a film student i know how hard and risky that is, especially in the first few years.

I think that if I work with an already established broadcasting company then that would be a perfect way for the country to access the content. Sir Lenny Henry stated that Netflix is beating the UK streaming platforms because of their diverse programming. So why not work with one of them.

In my research I found out that Channel 4 is leading the country with the most diverse content, from BAME to LGBTQ+. 4oD is their online streaming platform and its completely free (comes with adverts). They often support creators and artists from minority groups and i believe that they might be interested in featuring a new channel on their online streaming service 4oD.

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Channel 4 wants better representation for LGBTQ+

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Channel 4 wants better representation for LGBTQ+

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Channel 4 has called for better representation of the LGBT community in TV advertising.

The broadcaster has claimed, following a study, that LGBT people are rarely portrayed - and when they are it is often in tokenistic or in stereotyped ways.

A study undertaken by YouGov for Channel 4's sales arm found that just 3% of surveyed adverts feature members of the LGBT community, which makes up around 6% of the UK population.

It was also found that viewers overestimate representation at around 22%.

Channel 4 will award £1 million of air time (Victoria Jones/PA)

Focus groups consulted as part of the survey found LGBT representation in adverts to exclude bisexual and transgender people.

There were also concerns arising in Channel 4's research that adverts centred on same-sex couples rather than bisexual, gender fluid and transgender people.

Matt Salmon, Channel 4's head of agency and client sales, said: "Our study, and the focus groups we conducted alongside it, showed that despite the lip service paid to diversity, there's still a long way to go before we have authentic representation in television ads.

"Channel 4 is determined to drive change in this area and we particularly want to challenge advertisers to up their game in the representation of people from the LGBT+ community."

To change this, Channel 4 has announced it will dedicate its £1 million Diversity in Advertising Award to tackling LGBT representation.

Research conducted for 4Sales found that focus groups felt adverts relied on images of the butch lesbian or the camp gay man.

Around 60% of those surveyed in focus groups felt that the portrayal of LGBT people in adverts was negative, and they were rarely shown as part of a family unit.

The Diversity In Advertising Award gives support to a winning creative idea which tackles an issue of diversity in advertising, this year with the focus on the LGBT community.

In addition to £1 million worth of commercial airtime to the winner, Channel 4 will also offer to match-fund a maximum four runners-up campaigns with £250,000.

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Channel 4 drive for better LGBT representation in advertising - Evening Express

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Channel 4 has called for better representation of the LGBT community in TV advertising. The broadcaster has claimed, following a study, that LGBT people are rarely portrayed - and when they are it is often in tokenistic or in stereotyped ways.

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Channel 4 makes commitment to anti-racism

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Channel 4 makes commitment to anti-racism

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UK's Channel 4 makes commitment to anti-racism and BAME representation

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UK broadcaster Channel 4 has set out a six-part anti-racism strategy and a commitment to improve on-screen black and minority ethnic (BAME) representation, following the death of George Floyd.

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Channel 4 state themselves that they seek inclusivity

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Channel 4 state themselves that they seek inclusivity

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There is a clear moral, social and economic case for why equality and diversity matter. Knowing your community and responding to its diverse needs is at the heart of effective public service delivery.

Diversity in TV, the media - and the United Kingdom as a whole - is a top priority for us at Channel 4. A key part of our remit is to appeal to people whatever their culture, nationality, religious persuasion, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, gender, race or age.

From 'Desmond's', the first black sitcom first broadcast by Channel 4 in 1989, to our groundbreaking coverage of the Paralympic Games, Channel 4 has brought previously neglected experiences and perspectives into the mainstream. Today, the story continues.

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There is a clear moral, social and economic case for why equality and diversity matter. Knowing your community and responding to its diverse needs is at the heart of effective public service delivery. Diversity in TV, the media - and the United Kingdom as a whole - is a top priority for us at Channel 4.

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SOLUTION - An online platform for artists in minority groups

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SOLUTION - An online platform for artists in minority groups

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My solution is... We4

We4 will be a platform available on channel 4's streaming platform 4oD.

As its online, 4oD has unlimited space which means that We4 will be able to have a huge catalogue of TV series, films, documentaries and short films from artists and creators in minority groups.

We4 is comparable to e4, More4, All4, or Film4 however the difference is that We4 will be only available on 4oD which is available on any device (Phone, PC, TV).

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To the creators:

Write it. Create it. Share it.

To the viewers:

Explore a range of stories from Brits of every background, available for free on We4.

W E 4 O D:

We are here to spread awareness

Everyone has a story to tell

4 Brits who finally deserve a free creative platform

Our vision is to represent the voiceless

Diversifying the British Media Industry

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PROTOTYPE - We4 (a new platform available on 4oD)

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PROTOTYPE - We4 (a new platform available on 4oD)