#MeToo scandals that have erupted in British TV, prompted by the accusations of sexual harassment and bullying by Doctor Who star Noel Clarke and, more recently, the sexual misconduct allegations made against producer Charlie Hanson, has forced one U.K. industry giant and production house to put new policies in place.
Sky, the Comcast-owned TV giant, and its production arm Sky Studios have unveiled a series of newly enhanced on-set safeguarding measures for its shows, which have been sent to its production partners alongside a reiteration of current policies.
New polices being introduced include:
- Requiring every production to have a named Safeguarding Representative, who will support production with information on policies and routes to report issues
- Mandatory Respect in the Workplace training: Everyone working on a Sky production, including cast and crew, will have to complete a mandatory online training module, Respect in the Workplace, which details the level of behaviour we expect in the workplace. Scripted productions it will be mandatory to do ScreenSkills training as well and we’re exploring options with ScreenSkills regarding unscripted productions.
- Prominently displaying avenues of where people can report concerns on set and around the workplace
- Anonymous exit questions for everyone to be able to complete at the end of all productions
“It’s our belief that Sky already has good and appropriate policies in place on our sets, but recent events have shown us that we could and should do more,” Zai Bennett, Sky U.K.’s managing director of content, and Jane Millichip, Sky Studios’ chief content office, wrote in a blog post on Monday that outlined the new procedures.
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“We believe the cast and crew of every production commissioned or produced by Sky and Sky Studios, has the right to work in a safe and supportive environment,” they added. “Now is the time for us all to take a firm stand and ensure there is no ambiguity whatsoever about behaviours, work culture and the professional standards we expect on our productions.”
While several production houses and broadcasters have underlined their own in-house safeguarding measures, there have been growing demands for an independent body to be established covering film, TV and theater. BAFTA recently backed Time Up UK’s in calling for a high-level summit to address the “urgent need” for an industry-wide approach when it came to responding to bullying and harassment allegations.
