Published: 17 December 2012
Country: UK
The BBC should be bolder and more creative with its depiction of lesbian, gay and bisexual people (LGB) who are still sidelined and stereotyped on television, reports British newspapers.
According to a new study commissioned by the BBC, LGB people were “still relatively invisible” across all media, “especially lesbian women and bisexual people”.
An expert panel called on the BBC to feature more LGB people across its television output, in particular in children’s programming and in sport, reports Guardian . Therefore the BBC should use children’s programming to help “familiarise audiences through incidental portrayal from an early age” as well as validating older children who may be LGB.
Daily Telegraph says that the genre that received the most criticism was BBC News which was warned that it should be “more creative and nuanced” in its presentation.
The BBC on its own website emphasizes that the research showed that many lesbian, gay and bisexual people themselves feel they are still under-represented by all UK broadcasters, not just the corporation.
But while all broadcasters had responsibility to reflect the diversity of their audiences, the report said the BBC had an “extra obligation” because of its role as a stand-bearer and to push the boundaries for the whole industry. It said there had been a “gradual degree of improvement” in the portrayal of LGB people over the last 10 years.
The BBC also reports that a new study confirms that the vast majority of audiences are comfortable with the depiction of lesbian, gay and bisexual people on radio, TV and online.
Acting director general Tim Davie, chair of the BBC Working Group which commissioned the review, said: “The BBC has a fundamental obligation to serve all its audiences. In fact, it’s one of the BBC’s public purposes to reflect the diversity of UK life. I’m proud to have led this work for three years, and this review underlines our commitment and sets a direction for the work to continue.”
A new report is the second part of a survey of the opinions of around 3,500 people on the Pulse panel, including more than 500 people who identified themselves as lesbian, gay and bisexual, as well as an in-depth consultation of individuals and members of expert organisations including Stonewall, actors’ union Equity and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation.
The review’s findings are broadly consistent with the 2010 research, and will provide a robust benchmark to track future changes. The BBC has committed to re-running the audience survey in a year’s time, reports the corporation.
However, there are still much more to be improved. There is a little portrayal of lesbian women and hardly any representation of bisexual people. Drama makers were encouraged to be “bolder” and comedy producers warned that the “biggest risk [was] the portrayal of LGB people being the focus of the joke, says Guardian.
The report comes two years after a similar BBC study was conducted, but concerns were raised that the findings of the 2010 research had not been effectively communicated with independent producers.