From Evidence to Action: Extended Policy Briefing Launch

The evidence provides the clearest picture to date of how class inequality shapes workforce sustainability, mental wellbeing and career progression in UK television.

The University of Leeds invites you to the launch of From Evidence to Action, a new extended policy briefing from the AHRC-funded ‘What’s On? Rethinking Class in the Television Industry’ project, led by Professor Beth Johnson with Anna Theodoulides.

Developed in collaboration with the Film & TV Charity, the briefing brings together new analysis of the Charity’s Looking Glass survey data with in-depth qualitative research on television drama production to provide the clearest picture to date of how class inequality shapes workforce sustainability, mental wellbeing and career progression in UK television.

The findings show that class inequality is not only about access to jobs, but about how risk is distributed across the workforce. Workers from different class backgrounds often hold similar contracts, but experience markedly different outcomes. The briefing introduces the concept of classed risk distribution to describe how the financial, emotional and career risks of television work fall systematically on those least able to absorb them.

The briefing sets out practical actions for policymakers, regulators and industry stakeholders - including Ofcom, DCMS, ScreenSkills, broadcasters and production companies - using policy and regulatory levers that already exist.

The launch event will include a short presentation of the findings followed by a panel discussion. Panel members include Marcus Ryder (Film & TV Charity), Lesley Gannon (Writers’ Guild of Great Britain) and Philippa Childs (BECTU), bringing perspectives from across industry, workforce and governance.

How to register

Register to attend and receive the full briefing here.

For queries, please contact: B.L.Johnson@leeds.ac.uk or A.Theodoulides@leeds.ac.uk