Diversity is a creative opportunity for the BBC to engage the totality of the UK audience. This includes ethnicity and cultural diversity, disability, age, faith, sexuality, class, political affiliation and regional differences.

We are working to hardwire diversity into the DNA of the BBC by embedding it in key processes around programme making, creativity, service delivery and creating an inclusive workforce.

What we are doing on screen and on air

One of our most important ambitions is to ensure that diverse audiences see themselves reflected in our programmes.

Film & Television
Our strategy has been to commission successful multicultural seasons such as Abolition which included documentaries presented by Moira Stuart and Ms Dynamite. The Season’s legacy is the Abolition website, rich in information and resources and can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/abolition.  Partition included Sanjeev Bkaskar in India and Saira Khan discovering modern life in Pakistan. We also aim to bring multicultural programmes into the mainstream with shows such as The Retreat, The Choir, Baby Borrowers, Neneh and Andi Dish It Up, The Apprentice. Examples of comedy include Lenny's Comic Britain and Little Miss Jocelyn;  in the drama genre we have shown ground-breaking storylines and inclusive casting in offerings such as Tsunami, Shoot The Messenger, 5 Days and Dr Who. Eastenders, Casualty and Holby City on flagship channels BBC1 and 2 continue to feature diverse storylines, characters and features.

The appointment of Mary Fitzpatrick to the role of Editorial Executive, Diversity for BBC Vision (formerly BBC TV), is a signal of the BBC’s commitment to including a range of authentic voices and opinions in BBC programmes. Her remit is to improve the on-screen portrayal of diverse communities, and she has launched a number of tools to help programme makers and the production community in the BBC:

• Diverse Production Talent Database
  
  BBC production teams are able to access an in-house database of over 170 key production people. The database features producers/directors, series producers, executive producers and diverse independent companies from across the industry.

• Diverse On-Screen Talent Database
  
  This includes a variety of diverse presenters and reporters currently working for the BBC and other broadcasters.

• Diverse Contributors Directory
  
  Designed to help in house production teams and independent production companies locate diverse organisations and people for their programmes. It also has practical tips about integrated casting.

Radio

UK Black podcast
UK Black is 20 minutes of talk show highlights from African and Caribbean programmes on BBC Local Radio. Download your snapshot of contemporary Black Britain every Monday.

www.bbc.co.uk/england/ukblack

Local and national BBC Radio stations are committed to reflecting the diversity of their audiences and to this end, deliver a wide range of presenters, stories and perspectives across the airwaves. For example, local and national radio stations produced a whole range of programming related to Abolition, Radio 2’s Speaking Out: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Enslaved Poet, read by Sophie Okonedo; Radio 4’s Roots, a current affairs investigation that delved into the making of the seminal US television series of Alex Haley’s Roots; Radio 3’s play The Lamplighter, written by Jackie Kay and 1Xtra’s documentaries Amazing Grace and 21st Century Slavery.

Other examples of culturally diverse radio content includes the Asian Network’s soap, Silver Street; Radio 2’s Jazz Crusade hosted by Courtney Pine and Soul Solutions hosted by Mica Paris. Radio 4 recently aired The Strange Story of Rudolph Dunbar, an account of the life of the first Black man to conduct at the Royal Albert Hall in the 1930s, and File on Four: Deep South Racism Revisited, an investigation into the on-going racial discrimination experienced by African Americans living in the Southern United States.

BBC Radio London has a range of shows that reflect London’s diversity, including DJ Ritu’s World Music; In Spirit, a multi faith programme presented by Jumoke Fashola; Dotun Adebayo and Valley Fontaine’s show and the Eddie Nestor show.


What we are doing to create a diverse workforce

The BBC has set targets for ensuring that diversity is reflected on and off air, supported by a number of initiatives aimed at promoting diversity in the workforce and in output and content.
The BBC's workforce targets are:

• 12.5% for black and minority ethnic staff overall in the BBC workforce
• 7% for staff at SM1 and SM2 (senior management) grades from black and minority ethnic background.
• 4% for staff with disabilities.

As at 31 October 2007, the proportion of ethnic minority staff was 10.7% of all staff and 4.5% of staff at SM1 and SM2 grades.

Workforce initiatives and action plans
In order to continue to diversify its workforce profile, the BBC’s Director-General and Directors review progress regularly at the Diversity Board. Each BBC division has a diversity action plan.

There are a number of initiatives and activities underway across the BBC to diversify local and divisional teams, including work placements and trainee schemes. These are designed to give a wide cross-section of the UK’s communities exposure to the opportunities on offer in working at the BBC.

• The development of a new out of London creative hub in Salford provides an opportunity to reflect the diversity of the North of England in the BBC’s workforce. A strategy to attract and engage diverse staff is already being put in place, and BBC staff are working with diverse community groups and educational organisations.

• Open sessions are held in different parts of the UK to encourage minority ethnic and others from under-represented groups to consider a job at the BBC.

• The BBC takes an active part in ‘Move on Up’ events coordinated by BECTU. These are aimed at further diversifying those involved in the BBC’s programmes and output on TV, Radio and on-line.

• The BBC also promotes its opportunities at a numbers of careers fairs and related events across the UK.

Your Game

In 2007 thousands of young men and women were part of the UK's biggest-ever street football tournament, to a soundtrack from BBC 1Xtra and Asian Network DJs and local urban music performers. Your Game has given young people the chance to try their hand at commentating and Djing with the BBC, and many other opportunities from graffiti art to fencing.

But it didn't end with the final whistle. With the support of a wide range of organisations, Your Game has developed into a year-round programme offering development opportunites for young people and organisations.

In 2007 hundreds more people gained coaching and refereeing qualifications with the Football Association and ommunity sports work qualifications through Chartstage Workforce Development………….And many young people have taken their first steps in the media with BBC's Connect and Create and Tackling Skills initiatives. Applications for 2008 are now open, click on the link below to find out more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKWaC6ui2KE