Carol Vorderman Instagram – “TELEVISION, SNOBBERY AND LONDON”
Just delivered my Alternative MacTaggart Lecture at the @edinburghtvfest #EDTVFEST
So many things needed to be said
I’ve worked in TV for 42 years – an industry which has changed radically
With evidence and data I told how we are now an industry of regional snobbery, class snobbery and educational snobbery in a way which has never been as pronounced
Meanwhile our audiences are falling dramatically
At the current drop rate it’s likely that only half of people in the UK will be watching broadcast TV by the time of the next general election.
And I don’t blame people for switching off. Just 8% of the industry has a working class background, worse even than banking!
And so people turn to social media and why wouldn’t they?
If your life and your views and your town or city or region is never shown, why the hell should you bother watching 👀
Politicians out of touch? Absolutely
The Westminster Bubble out of touch including many political programmes? Totally
And TV itself losing touch?
The numbers say yes
Trust in the BBC has plummeted
Trust in mainstream media has plummeted
And what comes into play?
The far right fills that vacuum
I spoke of the platforming and normalising of Nigel Farage on I’m A Celebrity which was wrong.
I spoke of the Tufton St right wing lobbyists who the BBC platforms endlessly on their political shows as independent voices. They won’t declare where they get their funding and break all rules on impartiality but the BBC continues to show them to you as impartial observers. They aren’t and the BBC is wrong to do so.
I spoke of growing up in poverty myself and how much easier it was back in the 1980s to get into TV from that background than it is today.
Speaking from the heart and without apology, I was tearful when the room stood up to give me a long standing ovation.
It’s time we all were stronger together and believe that we can change things BECAUSE WE CAN.
Thank you @charlenewhite for interviewing me and giving your story too. So powerful. The speech will be available online soon and I’ll post details then
In the meantime sending love❤️
Photo credit Shutterstock for Edinburgh TV Fest | Posted on 23/Aug/2024 18:30:06
