The BBC and and diversity: creativity and audiences

The BBC has 6 public purposes

• Sustaining citizenship & civil society• Promoting education & learning• Stimulating creative & cultural excellence• Representing the UK, its nations, regions &

communities• Bringing the UK to the world & the world to the

UK• Delivering to the public the benefit of emerging

communications technologies & services

The Demographics

• UK population= 60 million people

• Black and Minority Ethnic population current estimate = 13%

Demographics

Recent estimates for England suggest that the mixed race group is growing the fastest, accounting for 1.7% of the population. (The largest category within this group is White and Black Caribbean)

Demographics• Religion: 70% Christian • 1.6million approx are

Muslim

• Over 55s: 19.8million

(34%)

• Disability: 1 in 5 people

More Demographics• One in 5 children in

the UK under the age of 5 is of mixed race

• 22% of babies born in the UK have a mother born overseas

• Approximately 30% of London’s population & 15% in the West Midlands are from an ethnic minority

Why?

Diversity for the BBC is a creative opportunity to engage the totality of the UK audience.

Why diversity is important to the BBC

• The BBC is a PSB, funded by a unique licence fee payable by all sections of UK society.

• The BBC’s future depends on being able to reflect the reality of modern Britain in an authentic way.

• The audiences that we serve are increasingly diverse.

Why diversity is important to the BBC

• Our competitors are also investing significantly in reaching out to connect with diverse audiences.

• The BBC aims to be the most creative organisation in the world. Diversity is one way of accessing new ideas and perspectives

Why diversity is important to the BBC

• The BBC has to remain compliant with current legislation, eg around providing access for disabled service users under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

A Clear Vision• Specific short to

medium term diversity outcomes

• Longer term cultural change

• Able to demonstrate clear and measurable progress both internally and externally.

Audiences

• Talking Disability audience research carried out in partnership with Channel 4

• BBC Working Group on Portrayal & Inclusion of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual audiences

• BBC News diverse audiences feedback sessions

Workforce Diversity Targets

• Black & Minority Ethnic all staff target of 12.5% - currently at 12.2%

• BME Senior Management target of 7% - currently at 5.6%

Workforce Diversity Targets

• Disability all staff target of 5.5% - currently 4.2%

• Disability Senior Management target of 4.5% - currently 3.3%

Gender statistics

• 49 % of ALL BBC staff are female

• 35.7% of Senior Managers at the BBC are female