In this report by Jon Swords, Laura Mayne, Claire Boardman, and Anna Ozimek with Sign & Share My Telly Job, they analyse working hours in the UK TV industry based on data from nearly 500 freelancers across 613 contracts in 2021, totalling over 73,000 hours. Findings highlight an average 10-hour workday with minimal breaks, gender and class pay gaps, barriers for carers and underrepresented groups, and London-centric geographies exacerbating inequalities.
This blog is being signposted by WorkWise for Screen.
Working hours in the TV industry are well known for being long. The desire to get all the necessary shots ‘in the can’, to shoot all the necessary pages of the script and the need to achieve the vision of the creative team frequently requires the cast and crew to stay until things are done. The pressure increases with stretched budgets and squeezed production schedules imposed by broadcasters and streaming platforms.