MORE top roles for eight productions commissioned by BBC Scotland, including three new series set to replace River City, are held by people working in London than in Scotland, new research suggests.
BBC Scotland has been told there is a “lot of distrust” among the Scottish production community due to the corporation choosing London-based creatives over them, The National understands.
Peter Strachan, who sits on the board of trade body Directors UK, said the broadcaster still has “a long way to go” in providing careers for film and TV talent based in Scotland.
The veteran TV director’s research, for which he looked at where the people who hold above-the-line roles on established and new Scottish BBC dramas are based, suggested that more people based in London hold key production positions than those in Scotland.
Strachan looked at eight dramas commissioned by BBC Scotland: Granite Harbour, Nightsleeper, Shetland, Vigil, Mint, Counsels, Grams, and The Young Team. The latter three are set to be funded from the soon-to-be axed River City’s budget.
The research showed that nearly 43% of above-the-line roles, which include positions like directors, producers, and writers, were held by London-based creatives, while less than 42% of the same positions were held by those based in Scotland.
Strachan (below) has called on BBC Scotland to boost the level of Scottish writers, producers, and directors working on its shows.
He said: “The stats aren’t all bad news but reveal there’s still a long way to go in terms of creating career-sustaining opportunities for senior film and TV talent based in Scotland.
“There’s a lot of distrust in the Scottish production community, as one senior drama director put it, ‘I’ve already been to a lot of rodeos’.
“It’s important the BBC does even more to boost the level of Scottish writers, producers and directing talent working on its network Scottish productions. Editors, too.”
A report published by Screen Scotland late last year found that only five of the BBC’s top 15 “Scottish” producers (by hours commissioned) were headquartered in Scotland.
Previous research by Strachan also found that the hit TV show The Traitors had 81% of its production team based in England.
At the same time, he also published an open letter calling for “urgent” changes, without which he warned Scotland's screen industry will “continue to dwindle and die”.
Strachan told The National that London-based creatives being favoured by the BBC isn’t just a Scotland issue but one that affects the whole of the UK.
He added: “The best way to do this is to award commissions to genuinely Scottish production companies, which guarantees the IP stays in Scotland, helping to sustain jobs and develop new productions.
“My colleagues and I at Directors UK look forward to working collaboratively with the BBC to bring about positive change.
“This isn’t just a Scottish issue, it’s one that impacts all of Directors UK’s ‘Out of London’ members and has done for many years.”
A BBC Scotland spokesperson said: “We don’t recognise these findings for long-running shows such as Shetland and it’s too early to give breakdowns of who’ll be working on new titles.
“Since 2014 there has been around £1bn of BBC investment in the production many network programmes which are loved by audiences, such as Shetland, Vigil and Guilt.
“Over that period, the funding has helped the creation of hundreds of jobs and boosted inward investment which has led to overall growth in the sector.”
