The BBC has made significant strides in achieving its creative diversity targets, surpassing its financial goals and integrating diversity into its commissioning process.
BBC Exceeds Creative Diversity Goals
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC exceeded its creative diversity targets by £50M ($67M) last year, with the head of creative diversity confirming that her team is now fully integrated into the commissioning process.
Significant Financial Commitment
According to the BBC Commissioning Report for the year ending March 31, 2025, the broadcaster invested £132M in shows that qualify for its creative diversity commitment, surpassing the £80M target. This represents a £27M increase from the previous year, positioning the BBC to comfortably exceed its goal of spending £240M over three years until 2027.
Integrated Approach to Commissioning
Jessica Schibli, the BBC’s Head of Creative Diversity, attributes this substantial increase to a shift in mindset that has allowed her team to become deeply embedded in the TV commissioning process. “We are now involved in greenlight meetings that traditionally occurred between the commissioner and the indie,” she explained. “This accessibility ensures that we are not just setting targets for indies, but engaging in conversations at the commission stage.”
Commitment to Diverse Storytelling
The BBC’s commitment to creative diversity was solidified during the Black Lives Matter protests nearly five years ago. To qualify, shows must meet at least two of three criteria: ‘Diverse stories and on-screen portrayal’, ‘diverse production leadership’, and ‘diverse company leadership’. Initially, the BBC pledged £120M over three years for this content, which ultimately totaled £243M.
Support for Under-Represented Talent
Schibli noted that her six-member team, along with genre-specific creative diversity partners, has actively collaborated with producers through webinars and Q&As, while enhancing their commissioning specification document. They are now providing more targeted advice to producers struggling to find under-represented talent, having allocated £2.3M from a diverse development fund for indies.
Accessibility Initiatives
Additionally, the BBC revealed its investment of £1.3M last year to improve TV set accessibility for disabled individuals, addressing demands from the Jack Thorne-backed TV Access Project, aimed at making the industry more inclusive. “We are making it clear that finance is not a barrier,” Schibli stated.
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Ongoing Challenges and Future Goals
While progress is evident, Schibli acknowledged the need for more shows meeting the ‘diverse company leadership’ criteria, describing it as a key focus area. The BBC spent £358M last year on content that meets the on-screen portrayal criteria.
Looking Ahead
With a new target of 25% (up from 20%) of individuals working on each BBC production to be ethnically diverse, disabled, or from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, further improvements are anticipated. Last year, approximately three-quarters of productions met the previous 20% requirement, indicating room for growth as the BBC strives for near-100% compliance.
Commitment to Diversity
Despite facing criticism from staff regarding its news coverage amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, Schibli emphasized that her team remains focused on prioritizing diversity. “Reflecting and serving all audiences is part of our existential role,” she affirmed. “That is never unchanged.”
