UK TV industry faces backlash from netizens for 'male-only' BAFTA director nominees

The UK TV industry is currently facing backlash for nominating only male talents to the BAFTA TV Craft Awards. All the 12 nominated are male in the list.

The We Are Doc Women, an organisation dedicated to supporting female documentary directors, is currently calling for the broadcasters and production houses over the “saddening and angering” lack of female representation, asking for a 50% gender quota for directors on factual shows.

We Are Doc Women saddened over 'male-only' BAFTA director nominees

As per Variety, We Are Doc Women (WADC) is saddened and furious to discover that the BAFTA Craft shortlist for Best Director Factual is 100% male. A spokesperson stated, "In 2020, WADW wrote to BAFTA as we were in the same situation — after there were no women nominated in the best factual director category, even though three of the films nominated that year for the best single documentary were directed by women."

The spokesperson continued that there was a significant improvement in 2021 as 50% of the nominees were female and it was won by a woman. Stating that one step forward and two steps backwards is simply not good enough, the spokesperson added, "whilst BAFTA and the rest of the TV and content industry virtue signal around diversity, it would appear that women directors are simply still not getting on the lists", mentioning, "This calls for industry-wide change, from the broadcasters, SVODs, commissioners, the production community and BAFTA."

Netizens say, 'Feels a bit of a boys club'

Many reacted to the same as Luke Sewell tweeted, "Just catching up with the @BAFTA noms. Obvs very pleased to see some mates on the list etc and I’m very happy for them. But maybe that’s the issue right - feels a bit of a boys club! @WeAreDocWomen (sic)".

Andy R. Worboys mentioned, "Totally this! It's always been a posh boys club. It's changing, but way too slowly. But as that demographic holds the keys to the kingdom, it's not in their interest to change anything."

In a conversation with Variety, Katie Bailiff, CEO of Women in Film and TV (UK) expressed disappointment to see no women nominated in these categories. She said, "What we need is for more women to get their hands on those big, meaty, award-winning documentary subjects and those larger, creatively ambitious projects and budgets."

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