A new study of diversity in the British TV industry has revealed that fewer than 2 per cent of TV writers identify as black.
The study, conducted by the Creative Diversity Network, also illuminated a lack of senior positions held by non-white industry figures.
While some of the most acclaimed TV projects in recent years have come from black or non-white creatives, including Michaela Coel’s BBC drama I May Destroy You, the study paints a picture of deep-rooted racial inequality throughout the wider industry.
Surveying 30,000 people, the study found that just 1.6 per cent of UK TV writers identify as black, and just 2.4 per cent of production executives and 4.4 per cent of series producers identify as Bame (black, Asian and minority ethnic).
CDN’s executive director Deborah Williams said: “In spite of advances, it’s clear from the data that the UK TV industry has a long way to go before it is genuinely representative of its viewers, and particularly in the off-screen and senior working opportunities it offers to people from different ethnic backgrounds.
“While we applaud the efforts broadcasters and producers have made to improve on-screen representation, the industry must match this by taking meaningful and sustainable action to increase off-screen diversity.”
Williams explained that there needs to be greater flexibility for diverse talent to transition between different off-screen roles, and that talent must not be shoehorned into writing exclusively about race.
In the “craft” jobs, such as sound engineering and set design, CDN was unable to collect enough data to publish as there were so few roles being occupied by non-white workers.
The full report can be accessed online on the organisation’s website.
