“We need to be cheerleaders, not gatekeepers,” said UKTV’s commissioning editor Sarah Asante, during a discussion at Mipcom on diversity and inclusion in the TV industry.
“I have always heard that phrase: ‘gatekeepers.’ Barriers to access is a massive issue in this industry. Everyone trying to get in has a story about ‘having to know someone, having to be the son of a CEO or the daughter of a manager.’ That’s true, but there is a good number of commissioners of my cohort, who have my focus on how to tell the best stories from the biggest range of people.”
“This industry is always saying we need more content, but then they ask: ‘Oh, where are your credits?’ You don’t live up to what you say.”
Talking about putting disability front and center, Asante mentioned “Perfect,” featuring three wheelchair-using leads, and “Dead Canny,” a working-class sitcom about a girl with supernatural powers.
“What’s really interesting about this one is that in the UK, we have a real class issue. Diversity of accent, region is something that’s really lacking on our screens.”
Authenticity in casting is crucial, but also making sure the people in the crew have a stake in the storytelling, she noted. Adding that London and the South of the U.K. are already represented in programming.
“All too often, production companies will pitch a great regional show and send a busload of Londoners up there to make it. It’s outrageous. Please book people from that area.”
Apart from “unicorn” Michaela Coel, there aren’t enough Black female voices in comedy, she added.
“Stop being a ‘sayer’ of things. Become a ‘doer’ of things. You teach people what you like, what you are looking for and what’s needed on screen,” said Asante, adding that YouTube, digital space, is a great place to experiment.
Providing a short overview of some of the recent trends, David Ciaramella of K7 Media mentioned that diversity and inclusion have become “increasingly important” when it comes to entertainment. In terms of widening the pool of people behind and in front of the camera, but also TV shows that “openly challenge” people’s judgements and preconceptions.
Content celebrating LGBTQ+ communities is “plentiful,” he said, also mentioning the 50th anniversary of the Pride movement and Channel 4’s season of “Proud All Over” shows.
The ripples of the Black Lives Matter movement can be also felt, with some new opportunities in the brand-funded space.
“The School That Tried to End Racism,” hosted by Marc Fennell, proved popular in Australia, while BBC Two’s “Back in Time for Birmingham” engaged families in an “absorbing and non-preachy way.”
2021 saw the emphasis on racial diversity, he added, but disabilities are bound to become more of a preoccupation in the coming year.
Shows like “The World’s Happiest National Team” from Denmark (TV2) can be seen as a sign of upcoming change, while blind comedian Chris McCausland is to pilot a new BBC game show “What’s in the Box.”
In the scripted space, a “hot trend” sees broadcasters and streamers better represent the diversity of their audience by taking fresh approaches to tried-and-tested genres.
“We have seen a lot of stuffy and stale classic TV stories, family comedies, detective dramas or period dramas reimagined through the eyes of more diverse protagonists,” said Ciaramella, mentioning the upcoming “The Confession of Frannie Langton” or “Reginald the Vampire,” as well “Django” and “Gentlemen Jack,” moving into its second season.
Alberto Fernandez of Spain’s RTVE mentioned a short-form series “To Be or Not to Be” about a transgender boy.
“It was important for us, because this show is giving a voice to people. Not just transgender people but also their families, who felt a little bit alone,” he said.
“As a public television, we have an obligation to be diverse and inclusive. We are a company for all Spaniards,” he said. Also mentioning the need for more regional diversity.
“Not enough people are thinking outside of the box, or outside of Madrid and Barcelona,” he added.
Morad Koufane of France Télévisions agreed (“We are here to represent the whole population and all the regions,” he said). Praising its chief executive officer Delphine Ernotte Cunci’s commitment to championing women.
“We decided that 30% of all our directors of fiction movies and series will have to be women, and we reached that goal.”
Mentioning FT’s plans to tackle disability through sport, also during the upcoming Paralympics, he stressed that commitment to diversity and inclusion should feel “natural,” however.
“We did a press junket for one of our shows and our main actor was asked to describe his character. He didn’t mention that he was gay. For him, it was normal. This is the kind of moment of diversity and inclusion that we are looking for.”
