Over two evidence sessions on Tuesday 11 June the House of Lords Communications Committee will question witnesses including Sir Lenny Henry and the Chief Executive of Welsh public service broadcaster S4C as part of its ongoing inquiry into public service broadcasting in the age of video on demand.
The Committee will explore the state of diversity and representation, both on and off the screen with Lenny Henry, who has been a champion in the sector and previously argued for the use of tax reliefs to encourage diversity in productions.
The evidence session will begin at 3.00pm in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords. The witnesses are:
- Sir Lenny Henry
- Simon Albury MBE, Chair, Campaign for Broadcasting Equality CIO
- Marcus Ryder, Chief Editor International News, China Global Television Network
In the second session, which will begin at 4:00pm, the Committee will hear from Screen Yorkshire, which promotes TV production in Yorkshire and Humber; ScreenSkills, which supports training in the UK screen industries; and S4C, which is a Welsh Language public service broadcaster.
- Caroline Cooper Charles, Head of Strategic Programmes, Screen Yorkshire
- Owen Evans, Chief Executive, S4C
- Seetha Kumar, Chief Executive, ScreenSkills
Topics likely to be covered across both sessions include:
- How well public service broadcasters and the TV sector represent different nations and regions
- Whether there is a skills shortage and how public service broadcasters can support emerging talent
- How effectively Ofcom holds public service broadcasters to account for their obligations.