via Jessica Schibli, bbc.co.uk
The screen industries have long had a challenge with class representation.
It is widely acknowledged that more can be done across the creative industries to reflect the socio-economic diversity of the UK, so it was unsurprising that this was a key topic of James Graham's MacTaggart lecture at this year's Edinburgh TV Festival.
As the BBC’s Head of Creative Diversity, I know how important it is that the stories we tell and the people who make them reflect the lives of all our audiences across the UK, and class representation is an important part of this.
Back in 2022, we launched a pilot study focused on the hit school drama Waterloo Road, which started filming in Swinton, Greater Manchester, in February 2022. We wanted to examine the impact of the show on the local community and creative industry, as well as its on and off screen representation.
Waterloo Road has established itself as a firm favourite among viewers under 35 years old and particularly those from low socio-economic groups, who made up nearly half of the audience for the first three new series to air since the programme returned. The title remains one of the top brands on iPlayer for viewers under 35.
From inspiring the next generation of creatives to contributing millions to the local economy, the findings of the study are hugely encouraging. Productions like Waterloo Road are vital if we are to deliver our commitments in our BBC for the Future strategy, including backing homegrown storytelling and bringing people together.
Creative talent
Waterloo Road is a training ground for talent, running several programmes to support the development of emerging creatives.
The production supported 35 trainees, all local to Greater Manchester and from a wide range of backgrounds, in areas such as assistant directing, cameras and sound, hair and make-up, and script editing. I’m delighted that all have gone on to further employment, with some staying on the production.
Elsewhere, Waterloo Road has operated a Producer Stepping Up scheme, supporting ethnically diverse and disabled colleagues with a mix of training, coaching/mentoring and direct experience alongside senior staff.
In association with the community interest company Share my Telly Job, the Head of Department Production Designer and Standby Art Director positions were opened up for job share. These key production roles wouldn’t usually be operated in such a way, so it is fantastic that both were split between mothers of young children.
Local community
As well as supporting the development of emerging creatives, Waterloo Road is inspiring the next generation in the North West and building links with the local community.
Crowd casting for Waterloo Road utilises the local talent pool of young people, from a range of local schools, colleges and youth groups. This includes the Manchester College basketball team, which has been a focus for the series and enabled the team to complete work experience requirements on their course.
Partnering with Manchester Communication Academy and local social enterprise Sharp Futures, the show has delivered outreach to 30 young people from diverse backgrounds aspiring to work in TV and Film. This took them from character development and scene scripting to seeing their work portrayed by actors from the show.
Elsewhere, the BBC, Wall to Wall and Rope Ladder Fiction conducted extensive outreach involving more than 300 students from local schools, youth organisations and members of the public. This gave the young people a chance to meet cast and crew working on a live production, providing insight into the range of careers in TV production and an introduction to the skills required, as well as being an opportunity for production to research stories affecting the lives of young people in Greater Manchester.
From a sample of students that took part in the outreach, it is encouraging that 76% considered the experience made it more likely that they would consider a career in TV.
Local economy
The first three new series of Waterloo Road to air since it returned are building on the investment in Media City and creating more opportunities in the North West.
Rope Ladder Fiction is based in Manchester, and the production is working with a range of local suppliers. We estimate that over 75% of the production company’s supply chain spend has been with companies based in Greater Manchester.
The production has not only a diverse cast of Northern voices on screen but this is also reflected off screen, as the majority of the crew are from the North West, with around 84% of crew spend in the region.
For the first three series of the new commission, Waterloo Road will have contributed over £11m in Gross Value Added to the UK economy, over £9.5m of which was in the North West and £6.5m specifically in Greater Manchester. We estimate that this could have supported just under 40 additional jobs in the region.
Waterloo Road has built long-term capacity in the region. Companies in the supply chain reported investment through increasing employment opportunities and improving their training. The investments reported to us were not highly specific to Waterloo Road, as it is likely these capabilities can be deployed on other productions in the future.
Looking ahead
Waterloo Road is a lesson in reaching and representing underserved audiences, but this continues to be an industry-wide challenge that the BBC is seeking to address.
We have recently announced our new creative diversity commitments to accelerate change in the industry through representation in programme making teams. Our new increased target of 25% is for all production teams across socio-economic diversity, as well as ethnicity and disability, and we will continue to track and invest in content that reflects the socio-economic diversity of the UK both on and off screen, particularly in senior leadership roles off screen.
I am also committed to supporting ongoing research with academics, such as “What’s On? Rethinking Class in the Television Industry”, led by Professor Beth Johnson at the University of Leeds, taking a deep dive into contemporary TV production.
We are also working with key industry partners to support a pan-industry approach to measuring socio-economic diversity on and off screen.
