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| Female TV directors left out in the cold at Christmas | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Male directors will outnumber their female counterparts by six to one on British television this Christmas, despite growing pressure on the entertainment industry to improve equality of gender representation. | Male directors will outnumber their female counterparts by six to one on British television this Christmas, despite growing pressure on the entertainment industry to improve equality of gender representation. |
| The festive schedules reveal that only 24 of the 147 film and television directors represented on the main network channels are women, with those that do feature predominantly in charge of panel shows, soaps or children’s cartoon features. | The festive schedules reveal that only 24 of the 147 film and television directors represented on the main network channels are women, with those that do feature predominantly in charge of panel shows, soaps or children’s cartoon features. |
| The damning figures have been uncovered by a Labour party research team who surveyed the listings for programmes and films being shown on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. | The damning figures have been uncovered by a Labour party research team who surveyed the listings for programmes and films being shown on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. |
| The figures show that Channel 4 does slightly better than other channels, screening the work of seven female directors, including those of The Snowman and The Snowman and the Snowdog. In second place is BBC Two with five women directors in charge of shows such as Only Connect Quiz Special and Christmas University Challenge. ITV manages four shows directed by women, chiefly by virtue of running episodes of the popular soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale. | The figures show that Channel 4 does slightly better than other channels, screening the work of seven female directors, including those of The Snowman and The Snowman and the Snowdog. In second place is BBC Two with five women directors in charge of shows such as Only Connect Quiz Special and Christmas University Challenge. ITV manages four shows directed by women, chiefly by virtue of running episodes of the popular soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale. |
| But the commercial channel still does better than BBC One, which has just three women. One of those is the late Caroline Aherne, director of an acclaimed Christmas edition of her sitcom, The Royle Family, repeated on Christmas Eve. | But the commercial channel still does better than BBC One, which has just three women. One of those is the late Caroline Aherne, director of an acclaimed Christmas edition of her sitcom, The Royle Family, repeated on Christmas Eve. |
| “The lack of representation of women directors in this year’s Christmas TV schedule shows how much more needs to be done to improve inclusion in the film and TV industries,” said Kevin Brennan MP, Labour’s shadow culture minister. | “The lack of representation of women directors in this year’s Christmas TV schedule shows how much more needs to be done to improve inclusion in the film and TV industries,” said Kevin Brennan MP, Labour’s shadow culture minister. |
| The discrepancy evident this season can be partly explained by the traditional reliance on repeats of old favourites, such as a Two Ronnies episode, directed by Marcus Mortimer in 1993, or on vintage family films, such as Mary Poppins, directed by Robert Stevenson, and Joe Dante’s Gremlins. Yet men also feature heavily among the directors of the more recent family films being screened, such as Dan Scanlon’s 2013 Monsters University or the 2016 Disney cartoon Zootropolis, which was directed by three men. | The discrepancy evident this season can be partly explained by the traditional reliance on repeats of old favourites, such as a Two Ronnies episode, directed by Marcus Mortimer in 1993, or on vintage family films, such as Mary Poppins, directed by Robert Stevenson, and Joe Dante’s Gremlins. Yet men also feature heavily among the directors of the more recent family films being screened, such as Dan Scanlon’s 2013 Monsters University or the 2016 Disney cartoon Zootropolis, which was directed by three men. |
| The two recent feature films made by women that will reach the small screen this Christmas date from 2011 and are both children’s animations. They are the Korean-American Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s Kung Fu Panda 2 and Sarah Smith’s Arthur Christmas, which she co-directed with Barry Cook. This supports the theory that it is easier for a woman to take the lead in children’s entertainment. | The two recent feature films made by women that will reach the small screen this Christmas date from 2011 and are both children’s animations. They are the Korean-American Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s Kung Fu Panda 2 and Sarah Smith’s Arthur Christmas, which she co-directed with Barry Cook. This supports the theory that it is easier for a woman to take the lead in children’s entertainment. |
| The producers of funny shows and films also seem to be better at allowing women to take the creative helm. On Christmas Day, Debbie Isitt’s 2006 comedy Confetti will be screened on BBC Two, while Sharon Maguire’s hit Bridget Jones’s Diary will be shown on ITV. | The producers of funny shows and films also seem to be better at allowing women to take the creative helm. On Christmas Day, Debbie Isitt’s 2006 comedy Confetti will be screened on BBC Two, while Sharon Maguire’s hit Bridget Jones’s Diary will be shown on ITV. |
| Reacting to the figures, Kaye Elliott, of the charity ScreenSkills, said that while “there is a way to go in terms of women directors”, it was also clear that targeted investment in areas of poor representation such as gender and ethnic background helped create opportunities. | Reacting to the figures, Kaye Elliott, of the charity ScreenSkills, said that while “there is a way to go in terms of women directors”, it was also clear that targeted investment in areas of poor representation such as gender and ethnic background helped create opportunities. |
| “It’s why we have run initiatives such as the drama directors programme with Directors UK to boost the number of women and other under-represented groups with practical experience and mentoring on prestige dramas,” said Elliott. “Obviously, there can be practical problems for women who also have caring responsibilities, given the intense schedules that are the norm in film and television. But these are issues that affect men, too. We are pleased to say that we have supported men as well as women to return to work after a parenting break through a scheme we have funded Film London to deliver.” | “It’s why we have run initiatives such as the drama directors programme with Directors UK to boost the number of women and other under-represented groups with practical experience and mentoring on prestige dramas,” said Elliott. “Obviously, there can be practical problems for women who also have caring responsibilities, given the intense schedules that are the norm in film and television. But these are issues that affect men, too. We are pleased to say that we have supported men as well as women to return to work after a parenting break through a scheme we have funded Film London to deliver.” |
| The research backs up evidence of the slow pace of change in the entertainment industry. In the summer a Directors UK report found that although 14% of the British population consists of people from ethnic minority backgrounds, just 2.22% of TV programmes are made by BAME directors. | The research backs up evidence of the slow pace of change in the entertainment industry. In the summer a Directors UK report found that although 14% of the British population consists of people from ethnic minority backgrounds, just 2.22% of TV programmes are made by BAME directors. |
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