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Why invest £100m of commissioning spend on diverse content?

The ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s Creative Diversity commitment is the biggest financial investment in on-air/onscreen and off-screen inclusion in the industry.  We have prioritised a portion of existing commissioning budget over three years from 2021/22 – 2023/24 towards diverse and inclusive content.

These steps are all part of the ambitious journey we are on to transform the ´óÏó´«Ã½ inside and out and make a real difference to the industry and to society at a critical time. To demonstrate that change is being delivered, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will report on progress in its Annual Report.

The £100m investment will support our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our TV output across all genres, including children’s, education and current affairs. It will support the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s Diversity Code of Practice and commits the ´óÏó´«Ã½ to create content that is reflective of our diverse audiences.

Where does the investment come from, is this new money?

This is not new money. The commitment is part of our existing commissioning budget and is integrated into the way we commission content for all audiences across the UK.

It is important that diversity is not seen as a: bolt on, outsourced or something that happens outside of our normal business practices, that is why we have not created a separate fund or pot of diversity money, to ensure we are baking in diversity into everything that we do.

How much of the £100m is already pre-commissioned?

We have been increasing the diversity of our content for some time, so we are not starting from scratch. Some ideas are already in the pipeline, but we are also broadening the range of companies and talent we work with. What is new is the combination of off-screen as well as on-screen criteria which define these commitments. So, the bar is higher.

These commitments are a step change. By prioritising diversity within our existing budget, along with the 20% off-screen diverse representation, we will ensure that what people see on-screen – and how it is delivered off-screen – is even more diverse and authentic.

How and when will titles be counted towards the £100m?

We will track and report our progress against the commitment when programmes TX, in line with other quotas and targets. At this point we will best be able to determine whether the programme fully delivers against the criteria, as sometimes things can change during production.

All programmes that transmit after the 1April 2021 will be considered against the criteria for the £100m, including those commissioned prior to this date. We will also monitor progress at the point of commission to establish how many of the criteria could be achieved prior to TX.

What are the criteria for this commitment?

Programmes must meet two of the following criteria to count towards the commitment:

1. Diverse stories and portrayal on-screen
2. Diverse production leadership
3. Diverse company leadership

 The £100m is a floor not a ceiling and there are other opportunities for diverse companies and talent across the whole slate. 

What are the definitions for the criteria? 

Each criteria are underpinned by detailed definitions which are set out below: 

1. Diverse stories and portrayal on-screen - Representing all audiences around the UK

On screen representation includes all protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. We also include social class. Find out more about protected characteristics on the .

Within this criteria, a programme must comply with at least two of the following on-screen measures to be considered as diverse:

a. Landmark portrayal

Has a diverse storyline, topic or character front and centre of the proposition and narrative. Examples of landmark portrayal include Before Grenfell: A Hidden History, A Suitable Boy, People Just Do Nothing and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

b. Incidental and integrated portrayal

Includes diverse representation, where it is relevant to that story, character or contributor. Incidental portrayal means there is no direct comment on that characteristic, the character or contributor just ‘happens to be’ diverse. For instance, a multi-racial couple in a cookery competition or a gay character in a continuing drama. Examples include Eat Well For Less?, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing.

c. Diverse on-screen talent

The talent most regularly associated with the programme or series are diverse. For scripted programmes this means two or more of the main/regular actors. For unscripted programmes, one or more of the regular talent must be diverse. Examples include This Country, I May Destroy You and The Ranganation.

2. Diverse production leadership- Senior off-screen decision makers involved in shaping and making the programme

To qualify against this criteria at least two individuals in senior decision-making roles on the production must be from one of three under-represented groups:

• Black or minority ethnic
• Disabled
• Working class

For scripted programmes the following roles qualify as senior creative decision makers:

• Executive Producer
• Director
• Writer
• Script Editor
• Story Producer
• Line Producer
• Head of Development

For unscripted programmes the following roles qualify as senior creative decision makers:

• Executive Producer
• Series Producer
• Head of Development
• Production Executive
• Line Producer
• Production Manager
• Director
• Producer

We appreciate that some productions have bespoke roles such as lead writers or casting producers who may make key decisions, and so there can be some flexibility around which roles can be counted. This will need to be agreed as part of the formal discussion between the commissioner and the producer ahead of the programme being commissioned.

3. Diverse company leadership - Senior roles involved in shaping creative or operational strategy within the production company.

To qualify as a diverse led company at least two individuals in leadership roles must be from one of the following three under-represented groups:

• Black or minority ethnic
• Disabled
• Working class

Individuals must have been in their role for a minimum of six months.

These roles are:

• Managing Director
• Creative Director
• Director of Production
• Executive Producer
• Head of Development

Please note, for smaller companies who have less than four of the listed roles, then a target of 50% of leadership roles will apply. For co-production partnerships, the criteria for diverse leadership will be applied to the production company who owns the intellectual property.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ appreciates that in some cases there will be the need for flexibility around which roles, and any variation will need to be agreed as part of the formal discussion between the commissioner and the producer ahead of the programme being commissioned.

Both the criteria and the definitions were established in consultation with the Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity at Birmingham City University and have been welcomed by Ofcom. They enable complete transparency of ´óÏó´«Ã½ expectations on commissions that will make a significant contribution to diversity and inclusion.

Is there any flexibility within the roles stipulated?

The roles identified are based on data sources such as and our own internal analysis. 

We recognise the need to be flexible in our approach to consider the geographical representation across the UK, the subject matter of the programme and the make-up of individual companies. Our aim is to ensure our suppliers can have constructive and honest dialogue with our commissioners regarding greater representation with their productions and teams.

Therefore, in certain cases it is up to the discretion of the commissioner to agree specific roles for the production or company to help drive greater inclusion,  for example in Docs where  the Assistant Producer role is an important one, or in scripted if  the casting director is instrumental to meeting our onscreen requirements.

What are the definitions for the three underrepresented groups?

The definitions for the three under-represented groups are as follows:

Those from Black, Asian or minority ethnic (B.A.M.E.) backgrounds.

Defined as:

• Black/African/Caribbean/Black British. Selection: Black African, Black British, Black Other, Black Caribbean, Other Black background
• Asian/Asian British. Selection: Asian British, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Other Asian background, Pakistani
• Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups. Selection: Mixed Ethnicity
• Other Ethnic Group. Selection: Middle/Near Eastern/Arab, any other Ethnic Group

Those with lived experience of a disability.

Defined as:

Under the Equality Act 2010 a person is disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.

Those from lower-income backgrounds – to achieve social economic diversity (SED)

We use ‘parental occupation’ as the key factor to determine this group i.e. anyone whose parents were in ‘routine and manual occupations’ at the age of 14. For example: 

• Semi-routine manual and service occupations such as: postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant.
• Routine manual and service occupations such as: HGV driver, cleaner, porter, packer, labourer, waiter/waitress, bar staff.

We appreciate that social economic diversity is not as established an industry standard as ethnicity and disability – and we are working with other broadcasters, the Creative Diversity Network and Pact to improve the consistency of definitions, monitoring protocols and reporting through Diamond. In the meantime, we will work with producers to make positive progress.

What do we mean by authentic portrayal?

Portraying different identities and communities in a genuine, knowledgeable way is central to enabling audiences to truly connect with the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s content.

Authentic portrayal extends to both on and off screen, by having a diverse range of writers, directors, and producers ensures our onscreen representation is truly inclusive and representative of our audiences.

The process for casting ´óÏó´«Ã½ productions should always be accessible to all to ensure that we are able to make the most of the very best diverse talent. In turn, this contributes to the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s ability to deliver output that is representative of the UK and portrays diverse communities in a genuine, authentic way.

Who determines whether the content is authentic and diverse?

Working with our commissioners, programme makers can determine if their content is authentic, and the Creative Diversity Unit are also available to support.

Programmes need to be fair and authentic in its portrayal, relying less on formulated stereotypes to inform the narrative and or character depiction, but highlighting a broader spectrum of diversity and intersectionality within a character or storyline.

This can be achieved by ensuring you have writers who are able to bring authenticity, knowledge and expertise to your content, that your casting is inclusive to attract diverse talent for your roles and using local talent both on and off screen.

There have been great examples of this achieved already: I May Destroy You, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Crip tales and JoJo and Gran Gran.

What additional measures can productions implement to meet the criteria?

We are committed to supporting our programme makers and content creatives to meet our requirements and increase representation both on and off screen.

We recognised that many programme makers and organisations have implemented various initiatives, schemes and interventions to increase representation within their production.

We have provided advice and guidance on our commissioning website and listed a few suggestions to help meet our requirements: 

• Broaden your pool of talent, contacts and networks,
• Where possible advertise your roles for greater attraction promoting them on multiple diverse platforms
• Seek advice from our Creative Diversity team.
• Speak to our commissioners about the support they can provide if the intervention to drive change goes above and beyond your production budget.

Can smaller diverse-led production companies tell non diverse stories?

We want to continue creating, bold and distinctive content that seeks to reflect a diverse range of voices from local communities and appeal to both UK and global audiences.

We know that by having diverse content creatives from a wide range of backgrounds, brings fresh perspectives, unique insights, expertise and experience it enables us to continue making world class content that has mass appeal.

This ambition applies across our whole slate. There will be diverse on-screen content that doesn’t meet this criteria. And there will be non-diverse content made by diverse led companies that doesn’t meet this criteria.

This criteria are about ensuring there is enough content that meets both on and off-screen criteria – not about limiting anyone’s ambition. There is plenty of room across the rest of the slate as well as within the £100m commitment.

Can a commission by won without meeting two of the three criteria?

There is still a large percentage of our commissioning budget available to programmes and production companies that do not meet the criteria.

This commitment is not a commissioning criteria, but rather a way for us to invest a proportion of our existing commissioning budget to increase representation both on and off screen.

Our commissioners will actively support our suppliers to look at ways in which diverse representation can be incorporated into the content and or the production teams and we have a lot of support and guidance on how this could be achieved.

We advise speaking to your commissioner about the measures you could take to increase diversity within your programme and to also look at the Commissioning Diversity page for more information.

How do suppliers flag whether they meet the criteria?

There are several touch points during the commissioning and production process that you will be able to flag if there are challenges to meeting the criteria.

During the commissioning process we encourage suppliers to discuss with commissioners the measures and steps they’ll be taking to meet the criteria.

In production, we will ask you to update us that you are still on track in your usual progress reports. If things have changed, you can flag concerns with our business affairs team who can contact the commissioning or creative diversity teams to discuss solutions as needed. Just before the programme complete stage, you also have a chance to raise any concerns or challenges you may have faced during production and or postproduction stage.

The important factor is constant and open dialogue with your commissioning team. They can offer support and or note any challenges against the production.  with greater communication, and awareness we’ll be able to assess what additional support we need to provide our suppliers and or make you aware of the resources already available.

Who will decide if a commission meets the criteria?

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ commissioning teams will decide whether a commission falls into any of the three categories, supported by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Creative Diversity Unit.

We have created opportunities for production companies to flag if they meet any of the three criteria throughout the commissioning process, via the company leadership self-declaration form, the commissioning specification, and the production progress reports.

To ensure we are meeting our commitment we will monitor our slate on a rolling basis across the three years and adjust our strategy if we are falling short. We will report our progress every year.

We will always commission programmes based on the strength of the idea, and its appeal to our audiences. If an idea doesn’t meet these criteria, there are other opportunities for it to be commissioned elsewhere on the slate if it meets our strategy.

The definitions allow for complete transparency of ´óÏó´«Ã½ expectations on commissions that will make a significant contribution to diversity and inclusion.

Company leadership self-declaration form

To determine if a company has diverse leadership (criteria three) we ask all our suppliers to complete a Self-declaration diversity monitoring form via ´óÏó´«Ã½ Pitch. Existing Pitch users will be emailed the form to complete, and those signing up to the system for the first time will be prompted to complete it as part of their registration. The form can be resubmitted if the company leadership changes between pitching an idea and its commission. Find out more about accessing ´óÏó´«Ã½ Pitch.

Commissioning specification and progress report

Information included in the commissioning specification along with the progress report allows us to record whether a programme has diverse production leadership (criteria two). Download a sample commissioning specification from the Content delivery website

How will the ´óÏó´«Ã½ track and monitor diverse on-screen representation?

We are committed to monitoring and measuring diverse onscreen representation across our TV output and have established processes in place to report on our progress. This information can be obtained in our Annual Reports and Accounts.

Using diversity monitoring tool (the UK industry standard), we can get a better understanding of the diversity and inclusion landscape across productions.

For Diamond data to be truly impactful it needs everyone involved in making our shows to contribute – whether on or off screen – so we can hold a mirror up to ourselves and see if we are achieving our goals. Where we are, we can build on what’s worked, and where we are not, we can target time and resources to drive change.

Diamond diversity forms are completed via the production reporting system Silvermouse.

What support is available for new diverse-led companies?

We will hold an open event for production companies that don’t have a current relationship with the ´óÏó´«Ã½.

For those with exciting ideas that meet our strategy we will introduce them to commissioners to discuss their ideas further, and where we think a company is of particular interest, we will give them a commissioning mentor and/or support them through the small indie fund.

Can the diverse talent development fund be used to meet the criteria?  

The diverse talent development fund ring-fences £2m of TV development spend every year to help support and accelerate projects that need exceptional extra funding, beyond the usual production budget.

The fund supports production companies to develop diverse on and off-screen talent, including writers, actors, presenters and contributors, through targeted initiatives.

This is only available for commissioned programmes. Allocation is considered on the recommendation of a commissioner, after discussions with producers during the normal commissioning conversation. Investment decisions consider the legacy benefit of additional investment for future series, to drive change in the sector, or build sustainable diverse talent development in the Nations and Regions.

We therefore advise producers to include information in their programme where they consider additional funding is needed. We may also approach key returning series ourselves where we identify a strategic benefit for use of the fund, for instance in the Nations and English regions.

For more information about the fund, please get in touch with the relevant ´óÏó´«Ã½ business contact or ´óÏó´«Ã½ commissioner.

Who at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is accountable for meeting this commitment?

Overall accountability sits with the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s Chief Content Officer and the responsibility for delivering against our commitment falls to the commissioning teams and the genre directors to achieve our strategic goals.

Tim Davie has made it clear in one of his first announcements as Director-General, that career progression at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will be linked to diversity and demonstrating what our leaders hare doing to drive change across this agenda, this applies to our commissioning teams too.

What impact does the Across the UK plans have on this investment?

Our Across the UK plans will see an additional 10% of our TV content moving outside of the M25 to a total of 60% by 2027, and this provides a great opportunity to strengthen diversity within that additional production growth.

We are already working with companies and partners in the Nations and English regions to strengthen on and off-screen representation and supporting diverse led companies in those areas through the small indie fund.

We will increase our engagement and build a more strategic approach to diverse skills and talent development outside London. For example, we have built Diversity objectives into our partnership with the Screenskills Unscripted Fund and have asked for 100% of our Broadcast spend to go to beneficiaries in the Nations and English Regions.

For further information please check out the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Commissioning website for more information about the £100m commitment spend.