is incredibly and impressively diverse. Just flick through the channels – something more of us have been doing since the start of this current pandemic - and you’ll find that 23 percent of on-screen talent between August 2018 and July 2019 were of BAME origin*. 6.6 per cent of that figure is made up of Black actors which seems pretty good going if compared to how many Black people live in the UK – 3.3 per cent to be exact.
But delve a little deeper and behind the scenes you’ll find that the latest available figures from Directors UK show that in 2016 only 2.3 per cent of television episodes aired by UK broadcasters were directed by BAME directors – proving that when it comes to senior roles within TV – heck any role behind the camera - Black people are rarely part of the creative process.
‘Working as a black female director in this industry has often felt like banging my head against a brick wall and a glass ceiling. There have been several points throughout my career where I’ve felt like I’d have more luck directing traffic then TV, because no one was willing to give me a break. I’ve been judged by a lot of white, middle-class men, who don’t know anything about you, but suddenly, you’re excluded.