Annwyl / Dear Member of the Senedd,
For your background, I wanted to flag that the
BBC has today announced a
strengthening of our approach to reflecting audiences and
communities across UK following our latest wide-ranging
thematic review.
The independent review, undertaken by former
BAFTA Chair Anne Morrison and independent media consultant Chris
Banatvala, assesses how accurately and authentically the BBC
portrays and represents different groups and communities across the
UK.
- The report finds that significant progress
has been made in how the BBC represents all communities of the
UK, including through increased regional investment, a
broader and more representative range of voices on and
off-air, and a strong focus on authentic portrayal in
commissioning decisions.
- However, the report also identifies areas
where the BBC can do more – such as further improving the
way representation is measured in BBC output, including through
geography and social class. There is also a recommendation to
strengthen the BBC’s local decision-making across the
UK to ensure it is happening closer to audiences, meaning
production is “rooted in the location, made by people who
understand it in depth.”
- The BBC has agreed a set of progressive
actions in response to the review (detailed below).
The recommendations from the report build on
recent BBC announcements to double spend on content in the nations
by channelling more money from central budgets across the UK, and
to accelerate the increase in commissioners and decisioning-making
roles outside of London.
The full report can be accessed online
here – please do let us know if you have any
questions.
Best wishes,
Marged Elin Roberts
The BBC Executive has committed to the
following actions:
- Strengthening how the BBC measures the ways
in which different audiences are portrayed and represented in BBC
output, reflecting a broader range of identity and experience that
includes socio-economic background and geography. We will report on
this new measurement framework from the next financial year.
- Doubling spend on high-impact contact in the
nations, as well as accelerating plans to grow the number of
commissioners and decision making out of London, as set out in
December 2025.
- Systematically reviewing upcoming content
plans to ensure underrepresented audience groups are reflected
authentically.
- Using existing and new data to ensure social
background, age and geographical representation also help inform
how TV and Audio presenter roles are developed, including within
improved presenter succession plans over the next year.
- Regularly distributing census information and
other comprehensive data on the make-up of the regularly changing
UK population, making sure this is understood by BBC staff and the
independent producers and partner the Corporation works with.
- Supporting production and skills across the
UK to drive authentic storytelling on air, building on previously
announced measures to strengthen local spend in BBC
commissions.
- Sharing the thematic review across the BBC,
reporting progress on the actions regularly to the Executive
Committee.
Marged Elin
Roberts
Ymgynghorydd Cyfathrebu
| Communications Advisor

