Prime Video, Hillary Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions and Gordon Ramsay’s Studio Ramsay are among the 67 networks and production companies to commit to having half of their UK factual shows directed by women.
Campaign group We Are Doc Women has spent the past 12 months urging broadcasters, SVoDs and indies to sign up to its 50/50 pledge and Prime Video has become the first streamer, with other high-profile signees including HiddenLight, Studio Ramsay, Lenny Henry’s Douglas Road Productions, Louis Theroux’s Mindhouse Productions and BBC Studios.
The majority are production companies, although the BBC and Channel 4 signed up several months ago, and each has pledged to share their data annually with We Are Doc Women.
The news shows progress, coming exactly a year after a shock report exposed the deep gender divide in UK factual programming and six months since the BAFTA TV Craft Documentary Director nominations featured just one woman out of 12 nominees, which caused outrage in the sector.
Last week, BAFTA tweaked the rules for its 2023 Craft Director Categories so that the top three male and female directors will automatically go through to jury consideration.
We Are Doc Women has been tirelessly leading the charge and a spokeswoman said the group has been “overwhelmed with the positive reaction the pledge has received from the industry.”
“We’re not interested in shaming companies that are not at 50/50 yet,” she added. “We want to celebrate those who are focused on looking at their numbers and we will support them in redressing any imbalance. When we have transparent data, the whole industry can move in the right direction.”
Conversations with broadcasters, streamers and indies are ongoing, We Are Doc Women said.