Date: March 22 2016

Actor, Writer and TV Presenter Lenny Henry will be taking part in a Question Time-style panel event examining how British television represents its population. This will take place at Goldsmiths, University of London, on 22nd March at 6pm, as part of the Future for Public Service Television Inquiry, chaired by Lord Puttnam.

The debate will cover the key area of diversity in the media, a subject on which Lenny has been especially vocal, calling for better representation of BAME (black and Asian minority ethnic) people in the creative industries.  Lenny will be joined by panellists Bev Skeggs, Professor of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London; Rupa Huq MP and former Sociology lecturer, and Dawn Foster, writer on politics, social affairs and economics at the Guardian. The session will be chaired by Pat Younge, MD of Sugar Films and former BBC Chief Creative Officer. 

The Inquiry into the future of public service television has been set up to examine the roles and responsibilities of British television in a digital world and to make recommendations on how television can foster a more creative and robust public culture in the 21st century. It aims to address changing production, consumption and distribution practices and the funding and regulation of audiovisual content. The secretariat is based at Goldsmiths, University of London, and project partners include the Guardian, BAFTA, Vice UK, the British Academy and the Hansard Society. The Inquiry is organising a series of events and will be producing a final Report at the end of June 2016. See www.futureoftv.org.uk for more details.

Inquiry Project Lead, Des Freedman, said ‘This is a really important topic. Public service television ought to represent all the constituent parts of the population and when it doesn’t do this, we have to ask why. Evidence and experiences from this dynamic line-up of speakers, together with audience participation, will make a significant contribution to the Inquiry’s findings at a critical time in the history of television.’

Further information:

Venue: Professor Stuart Hall (PSH LG02), Goldsmiths, University of London, Lewisham Way London SE14 6NW. The event is open to the public and free tickets can be booked here: http://bit.ly/1TjfoUd

Press enquiries: Janie Ironside Wood, Head of Communications, A Future for Public Service Television Inquiry; E: janieironsidewood@gmail.com | M: +44 7730 047 511

Email your questions in advance or submit evidence to the Inquiry:  Vana Goblot, Research Associate/Inquiry Secretariat, E: v.goblot@gold.ac.uk

Twitter hashtag: #theTVwewant

New international output on the PSB channels has been substantially decreased in the increasingly fragmented market, according to the International Broadcasting Trust (IBT), a media and education charity concerned with the engagement of UK citizens as global citizens. Alongside with the reduction of volume, IBT observes that the nature of international coverage has changed, with serious factual programmes being replaced by softer factual entertainment genres. Public service television, IBT argues ‘should be a platform for a range of voices and opinions which reflects the population of the UK and the wider world. This requirement should be reinforced by legislation.’ Read IBT’s submission in full here.

Confirmed speakers:

Sir Lenny Henry (Actor, Writer and TV Presenter)

Bev Skeggs (Professor of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London)

Dawn Foster (Writer on politics, social affairs and economics for The Guardian, London Review of Books, Independent and Times Literary Supplement)

Dr Rupa Huq (MP for Ealing Central and Acton)

Chaired by Pat Younge (MD of Sugar Films; former BBC Chief Creative Officer)

The event is free but registration is required. Register here for the event.

Please email your questions in advance to Vana Goblot – v.goblot@gold.ac.uk

According to Jean K. Chalaby (City University, London), ‘the global interdependence of contemporary industrial networks must be at the forefront of broadcasting policy, for the PSBs and for all the suppliers along the content chain’. Chalaby identifies the most pressing issues facing UK producers as being related to how they can build up on TV formats’ global success; how they can retain creativity and innovation in UK production, but also, whether TV producers and broadcasters should compete with global aggregators such as Netflix and YouTube. Read Chalaby’s submission in full here.

According to Angela Phillips (Goldsmiths, University of London), competition for higher quality is a public good that is absent in discussions about the future of Channel Four. A strong BBC is essential to upholding high quality of public service provision, Phillips argues: ‘if the BBC is allowed to wither any further, there is no reason to assume that it will be able to uphold the standards the public expects of it’. Read Angela Phillips’s submission in full here.