‘No pension, no career, no future’: Grim reality behind the scenes of British TV and film industry
In terms of glamour and escapism, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Baftas and, while this weekend, the great and the good from British cinema will be getting ready to party, further down the food chain for those working behind the scenes there’s little cause to celebrate.
New research conducted exclusively for Sky News by the broadcasting union BECTU paints a bleak picture of what life is really like for ordinary workers within the British TV and film industry.
Thousands got in touch to report a dire shortage of paid work, with many saying they’re stressed, some even suicidal, taking on mounting debts to keep afloat financially.
“I feel abandoned,” one respondent wrote. “I’ve dedicated my life to this career and overnight everything I’ve worked towards has fallen apart.”
Another explained: “The whole experience is making me realise the sheer fragility of the industry and the money we earn simply isn’t enough.”
“I have never known a more dire situation… there is zero work around,” wrote another.
While, certainly in film, there had been the assumption that after SAG-AFTRA strikes ended last autumn work would slowly start to resume at the start of this year, for many that simply hasn’t been the case.
SAG-AFTRA members on strike in the US in August – the walkout lasted 118 days. Pic: Reuters
Last September – before the industrial action was over – 74% of BECTU union members said they were out of work.
Now, of the 4,160 people who responded to the Sky News/BECTU poll, it would seem little has changed with 68% writing to say that’s still the case.
Those who are booking jobs wrote back to say their roles are changing, with many saying they’re now being overworked and asked to do more for less.
‘I had a breakdown on my last job’
We were told: “Positions… that are advertised seem to roll up about three or four jobs into one role – and the pay is linked to the most junior role.”
Another wrote to say: “Unauthorised overtime… is now the norm. I had a breakdown on my last job… the job before that, it was a common occurrence to see crew crying in the middle of the workshop.”
Thirty per cent reported having had no work at all in the past three months, while 34% have had less than a month’s worth of work since the US industrial action reached a settlement.
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Drill down into those figures for the past three months and freelancers who are black or Asian are less likely to have worked than their white colleagues (29% of white respondents had not worked at all, compared to 38% of respondents who are Asian and 32% of black respondents).
‘I’m at my wit’s end’
The precarious nature of working in UK production, for some, has become untenable.
This is summed up by one woman who said: “As an ethnic minority working mum… it’s all for nothing.
“I feel valueless and aggrieved that all those years of working crazy hours and lack of security is for nothing.”
Another wrote: “After this slowdown, there’ll be no more diversity, we’ll have gone back 20 years in terms of only the elite being able to afford to work in the industry.
“I’m at my wit’s end. I feel as though I may have to sell my house. My marriage is under strain as I can’t financially contribute.”
Of those surveyed 86% reported finding things either extremely difficult financially (42%) or more difficult than normal.
Understandably it is affecting people’s mental health, with more than a quarter saying they were really struggling – some of whom responded to say they’d had breakdowns, or even become suicidal as a result.
There’s also an increase in people taking on loans or unsecured debt to cover their bills (23% up from 15% in September).
Charlotte Sewell, an assistant costume designer working on the Mission Impossible franchise, told Sky News that while she knew it was unlikely the industry would immediately bounce back after the US strikes ended last year, her worst fears have been realised.
Charlotte Sewell’s worst fears have been realised
“I think we all thought that what was shooting would come up quickly but new stuff, we were concerned… and unfortunately, it’s come true.”
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Industry slowdown across the board
The US strikes seemingly masked a much wider industry slowdown which is now being experienced across the board in both film and TV with television commissioning seeming to tail off as the industry experiences its worst advertising downturn in 15 years.
Until recently, unscripted projects, as they’re known, were a reliable all-year-round source of employment, but now 65% of people who once worked in reality TV are out of work.
For over two decades James Taylor has worked as a series producer on some of the biggest reality shows on TV, including the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
He told Sky News: “It’s easy to see that the strikes in America are having a direct issue in the UK, whereas something that’s less quantifiable is the commissioning slowdown here in the UK.
“You can’t really put your finger on it because the broadcasters aren’t releasing stats on that and saying we are commissioning fewer programmes.
‘It’s easy to see that the strikes in America are having a direct issue in the UK’, says James
“The economics within the industry are changing and all freelancers want to know is some information… if we know that there are going to be fewer programmes made here in the UK going forward, people can look for a job elsewhere.
“[Instead] there’s been this sort of tantalising prospect that things will get back to normal in a few weeks or months so people are waiting, in the meantime struggling to pay their bills and mortgages.”
More than a quarter (26%) of those surveyed reported really struggling with their mental health as a result of the drop off of available work, with a number of respondents reporting having had breakdowns or becoming suicidal as a result.
‘No pension, no career, no future’
As the head of BECTU, Philippa Childs, explained: “It’s a perfect storm. There are tens of thousands of people who work in this industry and they’re facing a crisis… this is a real crisis for the industry.”
“I think we all hoped 2023 was a bit of a blip… but unfortunately that hasn’t proven to be the case… people are really getting very desperate.”
Not only does the British TV and film industry generate billions of pounds for the economy, it also employs tens of thousands of people and a dream career for many skilled workers in this country has now become a nightmare.
As one woman wrote: “We’re told it’s part of the risk of choosing this job we’re “so lucky” to have… yet what do we have to show for it? Nothing. No pension. No career. No future… It feels like redundancy without any severance package.”
Entertainment
Mandalorian actor Gina Carano settles lawsuit with Disney – and thanks Elon Musk for funding it
Actor Gina Carano has settled her lawsuit with Disney and Lucasfilm after claiming she was wrongfully dismissed from The Mandalorian for expressing her political opinions.
Carano was fired in February 2021 after starring as Rebel ranger Cara Dune in two series of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
According to court documents, it came after the 41-year-old referenced the Nazis’ treatment of Jewish people while discussing current political differences in the US.
At the time, production company Lucasfilm said in a statement that her “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable”.
But late on Thursday, she posted on X: “I have come to an agreement with Disney/Lucasfilm which I believe is the best outcome for all parties involved.”
She added that she “hopes this brings some healing to the force”.
The details of the financial settlement have not been disclosed.
When filing her lawsuit at the Californian District Court last year, she had sought $75,000 (£59,000) in damages.
She also thanked Elon Musk for financing the lawsuit, despite the two having never met.
“I want to extend my deepest most heartfelt gratitude to Elon Musk, a man I’ve never met, who did this Good Samaritan deed for me in funding my lawsuit,” she wrote in her post. “Thank you Mr. Musk and X for backing my case and asking for nothing in return.”
The X owner is an ardent advocate of free speech and has funded similar legal battles previously.
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Carano as Cara Dune.’The Mandalorian’. Pic: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Carano signed off: “I am excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter.
“My desires remain in the arts, which is where I hope you will join me. Yes, I’m smiling. From my heart to yours, Gina.”
In response to the settlement, Lucasfilm said in a statement: “Ms Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect.
“With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
In legal documents, Carano’s team claimed both Disney and Lucasfilm had “targeted, harassed, publicly humiliated, defamed, and went to great lengths to destroy Carano’s career”.
She also alleged she was treated differently to her male colleagues. Neither company commented on these claims.
Pic: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock
Lawyer Gene Schaerr, managing partner at Schaerr Jaffe, said at the time: “Disney bullied Ms Carano, trying to force her to conform to their views about cultural and political issues, and when that bullying failed, they fired her.
“Punishing employees for their speech on political or social issues is illegal under California law.”
Carano, who began her career as a mixed martial arts fighter, has starred in other Hollywood franchises, including Fast & Furious 6 as Riley Hicks, and Deadpool, in which she played Angel Dust.
Eddie Murphy has told Sky News he doesn’t ever expect to win awards – but will happily accept an honorary Oscar when he’s 90.
Murphy is one of the biggest stars in comedy after starting out on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1980 and starring in a number of big franchises from Beverly Hills Cop to Shrek.
His latest project is heist comedy The Pickup, centred on two security van drivers. Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson star alongside him.
Pete Davidson, Eddie Murphy and Keke Palmer in The Pickup. Pic: Amazon MGM Studios
Murphy says award recognition was never something that shaped the projects he chose.
“The movies are timeless, and they’re special, so for years and years those movies play and the movies have commercial success.
“So you make a lot of money and people love it, so you don’t even think about ‘I didn’t win a trophy!’ The response from the people and that the movie has legs, that’s the trophy.
“You know what I’ve earned over these years? One day, they’ll give me one of those honorary Oscars. When I’m really old. And I’ll say thank you so much for this wonderful honour. I’ll be old like that and I’ll have no teeth. I’m cool with getting my honorary Oscar when I’m 90.”
Murphy, 64, has only been nominated once – for Dreamgirls in 2007, when Alan Arkin won the best supporting actor Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine.
Murphy’s co-star Palmer says she considers Murphy an icon in the industry, and The Nutty Professor was a true display of his artistry.
Eddie Murphy as Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor. Pic: Reuters
“I feel like recognition and [being] underrated and all this stuff, it annoys me a little bit because I think impact is really the greatest thing, like how people were moved by your work, which can’t really be measured by an award or really anything,” Palmer says.
“It’s very hard to make people laugh, and so when I think about it like The Nutty Professor, Eddie was doing everything, and I swear that the family members were real people.
“He didn’t camp it to the point where they weren’t realistic. His roles had integrity, even when he was in full costume. And I do think that’s something that should change in our industry. Comedy, it should be looked at just as prestigious as when you see somebody cry, because it’s that hard to make somebody laugh.”
Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson in The Pickup. Pic: Amazon MGM Studios
Recalling his time on the 90s comedy, Murphy says he’s still in disbelief of what they achieved in making the film with him playing seven characters – Professor Sherman Klump, Buddy Love, Lance Perkins, Young Papa Klump, Granny Klump, Ernie Klump and Mama Klump.
“You can only shoot one character a day. And the rest of the time you’re shooting, I’m talking to tennis balls where the people were sitting.
“So to this day when I watch it, I’m like, wow, that’s a trip. But we were able to mix all that stuff up and different voices and make it feel so that you don’t even feel like when you’re watching it, someone have to tell you, hey, you know, those are all one person.”
The film won best makeup at the 1997 Academy Awards.
Security guards buddy comedy
Palmer says their new project, The Pickup, is responsible for one of the most memorable moments of her life when she mistook Murphy’s acting for real praise.
“First of all, Eddie gives me this big speech before I do the monologue, where he’s like, ‘this is not playing around. This is a pivotal point in the movie’.
“I’m crying in the scene, and then it comes to the end, and Eddie’s [clapping] like, and I’m literally like, ‘oh my gosh, thank you so much’. And he’s like, ‘I’m acting’. When I tell you, it was so crazy, yeah. That’s like one of my most memorable moments in life.”
Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson star in The Pickup
Davidson is excited to see how the UK puts its own stamp on SNL, the show where both he and Murphy got their start on-screen.
“It’s a smart idea to have SNL over there because it’s not that it’s a different brand of comedy, but it is a little bit. A lot of the biggest stuff that’s in the States is stuff that we stole from you guys, like The Office or literally anything Ricky Gervais does.
“This is the first time I’ve ever heard anything American going to the UK, so I think it’s great. I think it’s great to have two opposite sorts of takes on things, but both be funny. That just shows you how broad comedy can be, you know?
The Pickup is out on Prime Video now.
Dean Cain has been branded the “worst superman ever” as he announced he will join the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “ASAP”.
The 59-year-old, who was cast as Superman in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, announced he had joined the team amid the federal agency’s unprecedented immigration raids.
He told Fox News on Wednesday his recruitment video on Instagram had gone viral and since then, “I have spoken with some of the officials over at ICE and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent ASAP”.
“You can defend your homeland and get great benefits,” he said in the Instagram post where he appealed for his followers to join ICE.
Speaking with the Superman theme song in the background, he said “hundreds of thousands of criminals” had been arrested since US President Donald Trump took office.
He then told his followers they would get a series of benefits if they joined ICE, including a $50,000 (£37,407) signing bonus and student loan repayment.
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“If you want to help save America ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America’s streets,” he said, before adding: “I voted for that.”
ICE agents are under pressure from the White House to boost their deportation numbers in line with Mr Trump’s campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
Cain’s post on Instagram received some backlash, with one user commenting: “Worst superman ever”.
Another said: “Shame on you Dean – that’s the most un-Superman thing you could possibly advocate.”
One fan turned against him and said: “Until I saw this I was such a fan. What a sad human being you must be.”
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