Dear Alex Mahon – CEO Channel 4,
On October 31st Channel 4 announced that it
would open a new national Head Quarters in Leeds with two “creative hubs” in
Glasgow and Bristol.
This is all part of a larger plan to make
Channel 4 less London-centric and more representative of the UK as a whole. By
2023 it plans for at least half of its programme spend to be used on
productions based outside of London, up from 35% currently and an increase in
money terms of £250m.
So what will this mean for ethnic diversity
behind the camera?
I understand that fears were raised within
Channel 4 that ethnic diversity could dramatically fall - because London has a
significantly higher Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population than other
areas in the UK. Just compare London’s BAME population of 40% to those in the
new Channel 4 headquarters and hubs:
Leeds with a BAME population of 15%;
Bristol with a BAME population of 16%;
Glasgow with a BAME population of 12%.
And Channel 4’s fears are well founded. Back
in 2006, when the BBC implemented a policy to increase the number of programmes
it made outside of London, the number of BAME people employed in the industry
fell from 7.4% to just 5.4% by 2012.
However, this doesn’t have to happen for
Channel 4. Having worked at the BBC in London for 14 years, Manchester for 1
year and Glasgow for 8 years, I have firsthand experience that the relationship
between geography and ethnic diversity is a complex one.
Here are some more statistics to prove my
point:
12.9% of directors of the BBC soap Casualty
are BAME, while only 1% of directors of EastEnders in are BAME.
EastEnders is filmed in London (40% BAME) while
Casualty is filmed in Cardiff with a BAME population of only 15%.
When I was an executive producer of current
affairs in Glasgow I consistently employed proportionally more BAME people in
positions of editorial responsibility behind the camera (researchers, APs and
producers) than my counterparts in London. Not only through BBC staff but also
with indies.
It was also not unusual for production
managers in London to call me for recommendations if they were looking to widen
the diversity of candidates applying for a job. Despite them being in a city
with a 40% BAME population and I being in a city of 12%.
And I am not the only Scottish based exec
with this type of experience. I was recently talking to the executive producer of
the BBC4 monologues “Snatches” which marked the 100 year anniversary of British
women gaining the right to vote. While it was widely publicized that over 90%
of the production crew were women, what is less well known is that approximately a third of the
people working behind the camera were from a BAME background, with 50% in key positions such as directors and screenwriters.
The monologues happened to be filmed in
London but it was the commitment of the execs to diversity that made this
happen. The geography of where it was filmed was not the determining factor.
So does that mean there is NO link between
ethnic diversity behind the camera and where a production is located?
I wouldn’t go that far.
Indeed, for the black community London is
unique in the UK. Almost 60% of the black British community is based in London.
This means that there are support structures and family ties that give London a unique pull on black British people working in the creative community.
As an executive producer I had to recognize
these kinds of factors when trying to increase ethnic diversity in the Nations
and regions. But it was and is not impossible. People will (and can be
persuaded to) move for all sorts of factors, and local BAME talent outside of
London exists and are eager for the opportunities to work.
So what does this mean for Channel 4’s new
move?
First, geography does matter. I am a firm believer in regional diversity and if we
want to represent the whole UK we must move productions outside of London. So
this is a great and welcome move by Channel 4. But winning on one type of
diversity doesn’t mean we should drop the ball on another type.
Second, the experience of the BBC has shown
that if you are not careful moving from an area with a high BAME population to
one with a low BAME population can have a terrible effect on the ethnic
diversity behind the camera.
But third and most importantly my experience
has taught me that as an executive if you have a firm commitment to increase
diversity you can do it wherever you are based.
Channel 4, geography is not destiny. You
can do this!
Good Luck,
Marcus Ryder
From Alex Mahon, Chief Executive, Channel 4:
ReplyDeleteMarcus,
I wanted to reply in person and thank you for raising such an important issue in a really constructive way.
From the outset, we have been working to ensure that 4 All the UK drives forward Channel 4’s commitments around I&D and improves the diversity of our staff across the board. We see this as an opportunity to go even further, and, whilst we are aware that there may be challenges - as the BBC example has shown - we strongly agree that ‘geography is not destiny’ and the relationship between geographical and ethnic diversity is complex, with commitment absolutely key.
Channel 4’s commitment to I&D, both on and off screen, runs through all we do. Our 360 Diversity Charter, launched in 2015, set out a range of measures to improve diversity on-screen, in our workforce and our supply chain. Our commissioning Diversity Guidelines have been effective in driving up diversity on and off screen and through Diamond we are making important progress on measuring representation. We know there’s still more to do and since joining C4 I have increased our BAME leaders target from 15% to 20% and made ‘a creative inclusive culture’ one of three priorities in my overarching strategy.
We made I&D a central plank of the 4 All the UK pitch process. We were hugely impressed by what the successful cities delivered. All three locations have clearly demonstrated that they share our commitment, delivering exciting plans for how we can work in partnership to improve all forms of diversity in the broadcasting sector and wider creative industries.
The Leeds City Region put forward a comprehensive, compelling and ambitious strategy to partner with Channel 4 and the wider sector to support growth in the industry, and to nurture new talent from diverse backgrounds – in the region and across the UK. Within the region Bradford has strong ethnic and cultural diversity with a BAME population of 32.5% at the last census. The National HQ will be a base for collaboration with producers and creative talent across the region including Bradford, as well as Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
In their pitch to be the home of a Creative Hub, Bristol put forward exciting proposals to establish new social mobility initiatives to work with diverse communities across the city and bring through new talent into the industry. Likewise, locating a Creative Hub in Glasgow will enable Channel 4 to harness the city’s rich cultural diversity, to further improve on-screen representation, and to work with the sector and the region’s educational establishments to grow the pipeline of new talent.
We are a relatively small organisation with a low turnover of staff so for us this is a unique opportunity to make real progress on our staff diversity and to embed inclusion in our new sites from the word go. More broadly, we hope that by opening up opportunities across the UK and better reflecting the full range of voices and stories that our country has to offer we can send a message to young people up and down the country that this is a sector open to everyone regardless of who they are or where they come from.
As far as I’m concerned this isn’t just the right thing for the industry to do, it’s a commercial imperative. Only by ensuring the TV industry is open to everyone, and has a workforce that’s reflective of UK society as a whole, will we ensure our sector has the talent and ideas it needs to continue to thrive in a highly competitive and rapidly changing landscape. Ethnic diversity is a key part of this and will continue to be an important focus as we move to a multi-site model.
Thank you again for raising these important questions in such a thoughtful and balanced way and for reminding us that it is something that must always be prominent in our minds as we embark on this huge process of change for the channel. You have certainly given us food for thought and we have circulated your pieces to colleagues leading the 4 All the UK process.
Alex Mahon
Dear Alex,
DeleteThank you for your considered response and providing more details, not only about the how the succesful bids were awarded but also your plans going forward.
The need for open and honest discussions as to how we can achieve meaningful diversity in the industry is essential. Not only talking about successes but also some of the mis-steps which every organisation makes in this incredibly difficult area.
I believe it is this kind of transparency which grows trust - a commodity that is often lacking in diversity discussions.
I look forward to an ongoing conversation between C4 and everyone interested in increasing diversity in the industry.
Best Regards
Marcus