FLIPPING THE SCRIPT Cimran Shah (left) spoke to Alex Brooker (right) about breaking down barriers for disability representation in media
WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE STRUCTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY AND BE CAREFUL NOT TO JUST OBSERVE THE NUMBERS As the discussion moved along, we heard from Sonny Hanley about ITV’s own work and discoveries when trying to encourage diversity within the organisation. “ITV Academy is trying to level the playing field, creating more entry-level positions and traineeships. At the moment, we are seeing big gaps in post-production and so are concentrating efforts there.” He also highlighted the need to boost diversity among writers and creators: “There are 14 characters in Emmerdale from diverse backgrounds – but only two writers.” The panel became particularly spicy when Hanley was challenged on ITV’s decision last year to cast Nigel Farage on its hugely popular show I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! , calling into question how to get the balance of practising good DEI initiatives within a business, but also then reflecting that in its output. For those who don’t know, Nigel Farage is a well- known UK politician whose extreme-right views on immigration
– along with his stances on many other ethical issues – have been highly controversial. Ryder shared a thought-provoking comment on this, which left more than a few eyebrows raised. He argued that though he disagreed with Farage’s politics, it would be unfair to ignore the fact that, in the UK’s general election held earlier in July, his political party secured millions of votes and five seats in parliament. He emphasised that, if we are discussing representation, then going off that data Farage does in fact represent a significant proportion of the UK. Disagree or not, the point certainly stirred up a few murmured conversations among attendees. A final key part of the conversation was around the term ‘woke’ and how it has been used as a weapon to destabilise DEI efforts. “I use the word woke as a badge of honour,” stated Williams. “It’s mind-boggling how misused it has become. The fact we are constantly championing change – we aren’t
A WORK IN PROGRESS AI’s potential was a hot topic, though the consensus was that it’s not yet a complete solution for the content demands
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