TV Foundation Report reveals nearly 1 in 4 people in senior TV roles went to fee paying schools

TV Foundation Report reveals nearly 1 in 4 people in senior TV roles went to fee paying schools

• Statistic is three times higher than the general population

• Representation of private education significantly over-indexing in senior roles across major broadcaster and production companies

• Report sets out business case for broader representation of viewers in front of and behind the camera

Tuesday 13^th May 2025: Published today, the TV Foundation’s report, Let’s Talk About Class: Appealing to the UK’s largest TV audience, has revealed the stark reality of education bias amongst the decision makers of the TV industry. The report’s results disclosed that nearly a quarter (22%) of people in leadership roles across the UK’s major broadcasters, streamers and large production companies, have the cultural and economic advantage of a private school education, compared to just 7.5% of the general population.

Part of the ongoing work of the TV Foundation’s class and social equality working group, the report was commissioned after James Graham’s 2024 MacTaggart lecture that brought the startling lack of working- class representation in the TV industry under the spotlight. The research was compiled by approaching 21 of the UK’s biggest Indies, major broadcasters and streamers to ask for data about the education background of senior level staff, as well as engaging with various experts and academics, for further anecdotal and evidence-based insight.

Class cuts across everything. The TV Foundation’s work recognises that the enduring stereotype of what it means to be British and working class often ignores intersectionality. Instead, the report highlights the shared cultural and economic experience of working class communities across the country. The report argues that working class audiences are TV’s largest potential audience, yet they can feel underserved and their lives either represented by outdated tropes or not at all. However, with the current crisis facing the TV industry and additional factors, broader DE&I commitments are being thrown into chaos. Combined with prospects tougher than ever for those already working in, as well as those hoping to enter, the industry, it is having a very real effect on the likelihood of redressing this balance behind the scenes and threatens a route to a monoculture that doesn’t represent audiences at all.

The TV Foundation’s report also covers what could prove to be a solid business case for improving the mix of people working in the industry: having people from working class backgrounds involved in all stages of creative decision making can improve how working class communities are represented. And just as importantly, improve the likelihood of a broader reach of viewership and therefore business outcomes. Using anecdotal evidence and recent examples, it sets out the argument of where representation has shown a significant uplift in viewership and audience sentiment and ultimately a benefit to business interests.

Gemma Bradshaw, Impact Director of the TV Foundation, believes it’s a subject the industry ignores at its peril: “Since starting the class and social equality working group, we have heard many difficult and painful stories about the hurdles in people’s TV careers that were all the bigger because of their class background,” Bradshaw explains “It’s hard to talk about class, and we want people to feel more confident to do that, to share what they value and how they see the world. Because when we have, we’ve also heard many bold and even joyful stories of individuals and teams that understand their working class audiences and have the culture and leadership to do more.

“The aim of the report is to move the conversation about class up the agenda, making it business critical and provide companies with the inspiration to move away from talking about people in terms of their “cultural fit” or “risk” and start talking about what they bring, their “culture add”, showing how bringing a working class lens behind screen can play into a programme’s strengths on screen.”

To read the full report please click HERE