Audiences still perceive the BBC as being focused on London and the South East according to a major new review of how the broadcaster represents the UK.
The finding comes from the latest in an ongoing series of Thematic Reviews commissioned by the BBC board into the corporation’s output.
Conducted by BAFTA Chair Anne Morrison and media consultant Chris Banatvala, it reveals failings to adequately represent a number of groups include older woman, Black communities, Asian audiences, viewers and listeners from working class backgrounds, disabled audiences and those from Eastern European countries.
In several areas the review finds that the BBC is doing a worse job than its rivals.
It also highlights a lack of real commissioning power in BBC hubs and offices outside London and failures in succession planning to ensure that the loss of existing presenters and journalists doesn’t diminish levels of representation.
The authors identified a number of instances of BBC shows referring to ‘visiting’ parts of the UK outside of London rather than merely reporting or presenting from them.
Production companies in the nations and regions which were interviewed for the review reported difficulties in accessing top decision makers who are still overwhelmingly based in the capital.
Morrison and Banatvala spoke to more than a thousand people, including audience members, BBC staff and external figures, to inform their findings.
Despite identifying the need for further improvements, the authors did note that there was “universal agreement from the people we spoke to that portrayal and representation are extremely important for the BBC and that they have greatly improved over the years.”
Samir Shah, chair of the BBC’s board, said it was “vital the BBC authentically reflects the lives of all the communities, classes, and cultures across the UK.”
He said the Board welcomes a number of changes being brought forward by the BBC’s management including strengthening how the BBC measures how different audiences are portrayed and reviewing upcoming content plans to ensure underrepresented audience groups are reflected authentically.