U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, a network set up in 1982 by Margaret Thatcher with a remit of championing unheard voices and taking “bold, creative risks,” is presenting an industry first on Sept. 10, when its entire schedule — including commercial breaks — will feature Black on- and off-screen talent.
Titled “Black to Front,” the initiative has taken a full year to realize since it was announced in August 2020, just months after the murder of George Floyd in the U.S. The idea emerged amid a disquieting period for the U.K. industry, which was reflecting, necessarily, on its own shortcomings around inclusion.
The major broadcasters committed an array of representation-focused talent schemes and funds and more than 5,000 people signed an open letter demanding an end to exclusive practices. The refrain, however, rang a little too familiar. “It felt like there were lots of conversations being repeated,” Vivienne Molokwu, a factual entertainment commissioner at Channel 4, tells Variety.
Titled “Black to Front,” the initiative has taken a full year to realize since it was announced in August 2020, just months after the murder of George Floyd in the U.S. The idea emerged amid a disquieting period for the U.K. industry, which was reflecting, necessarily, on its own shortcomings around inclusion.
The major broadcasters committed an array of representation-focused talent schemes and funds and more than 5,000 people signed an open letter demanding an end to exclusive practices. The refrain, however, rang a little too familiar. “It felt like there were lots of conversations being repeated,” Vivienne Molokwu, a factual entertainment commissioner at Channel 4, tells Variety.
- 8/24/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
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