BBC Perceived as London-Centric and Middle-Class, Major Review Finds
The BBC remains widely perceived as skewed towards the middle class and overly focused on London, according to a significant independent review commissioned by the BBC board. The report, authored by former Bafta chairwoman Anne Morrison and media consultant Chris Banatvala, calls for urgent improvements in how the corporation connects with working-class audiences and those living outside the capital and southern England.
Audience Perceptions and Geographic Disconnect
The review's audience research revealed that perceptions of the BBC are notably lower among working-class viewers and audiences based outside London and the South. These groups expressed less satisfaction with how they are portrayed and represented in BBC content. The power in the organisation still lies in the UK capital, the report states, emphasising that this centralisation has tangible consequences for on-air authenticity and relevance.
Genuine production, rooted in the location, made by people who understand it in depth was described to us as fundamental to on-air authenticity. We agree, the reviewers noted. They argue that key decision-makers, who select stories for the entire UK, must have a deeper understanding of diverse audiences to ensure content appeals to everyone, regardless of background or geography.
Proposed Structural and Editorial Changes
To address these issues, the review makes several bold recommendations:
- The BBC should lead in developing a new set of diversity characteristics specifically for measuring portrayal and representation, explicitly including class and geography.
- More senior editorial staff, including television genre commissioners, should be located outside London. The report advocates that at least half of the BBC's senior TV genre commissioners should live and work closer to the communities across the nations and regions currently more disengaged from its content.
- Where possible, these roles should be filled by individuals rooted in the location, not commuting to it. The genres with the strongest impact on UK portrayal and representation would be the most appropriate to relocate.
- Network radio not based in Salford should gradually move elements of its commissioning out of London.
Persistent Gender Imbalance and Data Shortcomings
The review also highlighted ongoing gender disparities within BBC programming. While some improvement was noted, men still outnumber women in BBC news, nations, and factual programming, a trend particularly prevalent among older age groups. Male presenters significantly outnumber female presenters in the older age groups, the report found.
Critically, the review pointed out that the BBC has not been fully utilising its own data to monitor this issue. We believe that women on air ought to be able to have as long a career at the BBC as their male counterpart, the authors stated, calling for a renewed effort to achieve gender balance among contributors and reporters in news and factual programmes.
BBC Leadership Responds to Findings
In response to the review, BBC chairman Samir Shah acknowledged the importance of the findings. It is vital the BBC authentically reflects the lives of all the communities, classes and cultures across the UK, he said. Decision-making must happen closer to audiences if we want to ensure that everyone feels represented and that the BBC remains an engine for growth within the creative industries.
The BBC Executive has committed to several actions in light of the report:
- Strengthening how the BBC measures the portrayal and representation of different audiences in its output.
- Systematically reviewing upcoming content plans to ensure underrepresented audience groups are reflected authentically.
- Using existing and new data to ensure social background, age, and geographical representation inform the development of on-screen and on-air roles.
The board has welcomed the challenges set out in the report and the proposed executive actions, signalling a potential shift in how the national broadcaster engages with the entirety of the United Kingdom.
