BBC Studios is to roll out its initiative on behaviour on set, The Pledge, to all its productions.
Twelve months after it was first introduced, BBC Studios Productions’ culture and leadership initiative, The Pledge, has become “an intrinsic and effective part of the way productions are run within the BBC’s main commercial arm.”
It is now being introduced on all BBC Studios Productions.
At the start of each BBC Studios production the Executive Producer reads The Pledge to the entire unit and signs it – committing themselves to ensuring that everyone working on the production remains respectful and inclusive and adheres to BBC values – and that they will fully support colleagues who raise legitimate concerns about inappropriate behaviour. The Pledge is then included prominently on daily call sheets as well as advising crew how to raise concerns. It also lists the contact details for alternative avenues and free services such as the Bullying and Harassment Helpline and the Film and TV Charity helpline for freelancers.
The initiative was introduced by BBC Studios Productions’ CEO Ralph Lee and Director of HR, Lisa Hardy, with the Salford-shot Question of Sport being one of the first programmes to use it before shows such as EastEnders, Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear and Silent Witness followed. It has also been deployed on productions including Good Omens, Trying and Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History and is now being introduced across all productions made by BBC Studios. BBC Studios is also exploring the possibility of extending The Pledge to its fully and partly owned indie partners’ productions.
Lisa Hardy, Director of HR, BBC Studios Productions “The Pledge was born out of wanting production leads to take accountability, but more importantly to empower the rest of the crew to be able to call out and address any kind of poor behaviour – without fear of repercussion. The response from both producers, crew and on and off-screen talent across all our bases in the UK since we introduced it last August has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Gareth Edwards, Executive Producer, Question of Sport, says: “The Pledge is the most important thing that I can ever say to my team and those who work alongside me and every single one of us needs to be reminded regularly that there should be no compromise on behavioural standards. Adding it to a call sheet or printing it out is not enough – which is why getting a senior member of the production to take the time to talk about it in front of everyone is so much more valuable. I genuinely hope the message will continue to change our culture for the better.”
Sallie Bevan, Head of Production for Factual Entertainment & Events, BBC Studios Productions, commented: “I’ve welcomed The Pledge across all our Productions in FEE and it’s a simple but effective method that allows us to clearly demonstrate accountability to the team. Leading a number of productions, both new and long-standing returners, it gives us the opportunity to ensure there’s no ambiguity in terms of what we expect, regardless of anyone’s position or tenure.”
Jon Creamer
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