BBC & Netflix Pact to Support Disabled Creatives

The BBC and Netflix have aligned to develop and fund new, ambitious dramas featuring disabled creatives both in front of and behind the camera.

The five-year partnership, which builds on existing commitments of both the BBC and Netflix, has been designed to increase the representation of disabled talent both on-screen and off-screen. It also aims to widen the range of stories produced and give disabled writers and creatives greater choice when it comes to the types of stories they wish to tell.

The BBC and Netflix will consider projects from U.K. producers that have been created or co-created by writers who identify as deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. All projects will be assessed and developed jointly, but the BBC will be the point of entry for all project submissions and pitches for the initiative. The BBC and Netflix will issue a creative brief and outline of the process, which will be made available to all producers, alongside a webinar.

Piers Wenger, BBC’s director of drama, said: “Jack [Thorne]’s powerful, memorable MacTaggart [Lecture] has shone a revealing light onto the extent of the challenges faced by disabled creatives. We recognize the need for change, and we hope that in coming together, the BBC and Netflix have created a funding model which will help level the playing field for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creators in the U.K. We would like to thank Anne and her team for the readiness and vision they have shown in coming on board to develop this initiative with us.”

Anne Mensah, Netflix’s VP of series for the U.K., said: “Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creators are some of the least well-represented groups on television in the U.K. Put simply, we want to change that fact. Together with the BBC, we hope to help these creators to tell the biggest and boldest stories and speak to the broadest possible British and global audience. It’s been hugely exciting to develop this project with Piers Wenger and the BBC drama team, and we are incredibly passionate about the creative possibilities of this partnership.”