TV to get diversity guidelines

Channel 4 is running a trial of the new guidelines

TV bosses will have to make sure their programmes present a fair reflection of cultural diversity in Britain by the end of the year.

Channels were recently criticised for not showing as many ethnic minorities as there are in "real life".

Either we adapt or become increasingly irrelevant to modern Britain

Clive Jones
Carlton TV

Now, an industry body will impose a set of criteria against which programmes will be judged in order to improve minority presence.

The announcement came at the Race In The Media Awards at London's Hilton Park Lane Hotel.

Clive Jones, chairman of the industry-wide Cultural Diversity Network (CDN) and chief executive of Carlton Television, said that screens must reflect reality.

He said that he expects the CDN's work, including the new guidelines, to "change the face of television as we know it".

"Britain is changing. And British television needs to change too. We are becoming an increasingly multi-racial, multi-cultural society," he said.

Jones: Viewers need to relate to stories

"I'm a commercial broadcaster. I want bums on sofas watching programmes on Carlton and ITV. Show me the money is an ethic I understand, and one that motivates my programme makers and sales forces.

"But the diverse population of Britain will only watch Carlton programmes if they are relevant to their lives and they can relate to the stories, actors and presenters we put on ITV screens.

"Whether you are a commercial broadcaster or funded by the licence fee, we are faced with a stark choice - either we adapt what we do, or become increasingly irrelevant to modern Britain."

Under-represented

A recent report from the Commission for Racial Equality said that people from Asian and Chinese backgrounds were particularly under-represented in TV shows.

Some soaps were criticised for being "patchy"

The CDN was set up last year by major British broadcasters including Carlton, Granada, BBC, ITV, GMTV, Channel 4, BSkyB, ITN and Channel 5.

It was formed because black and Asian viewers are said to be turning away from terrestrial television in record numbers.

The group also includes other industry bodies and regulators such as the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Independent Television Commission and Bafta.

Members of the CDN have pledged to work together to increase numbers of ethnic minorities in the industry - looking at everything from content creation to casting, production, promotion and finance.

One show - Carlton's new soap Crossroads - is already operating under the guidelines, with the writing team told to deliver a storyline that makes diversity an integral part of the plot.

Channel 4 is carrying out a trial of the scheme, with an industry-wide agreement to be implemented by 2002.