Group will offer incentives to broadcasters and production companies for improving access to working class professionals
The Edinburgh TV Foundation is to offer incentives to broadcasters and indies if they implement the newly devised class action recommendations at their organisations.
The aim of the ‘Class Confident Actions’ scheme is to improve inclusivity for working class creatives in the industry and follows from James Graham’s MacTaggart lecture at last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, which called for better representation of the socioeconomic group in TV.
The Class Confident Actions include putting class on the agenda of a company’s culture and leadership; bringing back job interviews in recruitment; levelling the playing field by paying the real living wage for entry level roles, at the very least; and supporting the next moves of staff with potentially longer contracts and clear and fair appraisals.
Having already implemented Impact Bursaries this year – allowing TV professionals from working class backgrounds to attend this week’s TV Festival – the TV Foundation will now offer special exclusive rates for TV Festival passes and awards entries from 2026 for companies promoting best practice.
Class Confident Actions will also be added to the judging criteria for awards such as the Indie Impact Award in the group’s annual New Voice Awards.
A signing up process will follow ahead of next year’s Festival ticket sales launch. The TV Foundation is currently asking organisations to tell them how they’re starting improving their processes to gather insight into best practice.
Further actions include monitoring representation in senior leadership and breaking working class stereotypes on screen.
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