International TV Co-Editor

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here as the week draws to a close. Read on for all the insights. Sign up here.

Let’s be nice: We should be in the middle of the sleepy summer months, but a combination of the Paris Olympics and wild unrest in London has made this week feel anything but European. Here in London, the riots have shown the worst of humanity, and the best, and given us a chance to reflect on how the latter can overcome the former, while the ripple effects, as ever, ripple out into the TV and film industries. The riots were sparked by the tragic stabbings in Southport, which left three young girls dead, and the wave of misinformation that followed, wrongly blaming a Muslim acting for Islamic ends. In fact, the perpetrator was not Muslim and there was no connection. Elon Musk played a central role in all of this, relentlessly tweeting disinformation on his own platform and encouraging others, leading to this angry response from Armando Iannucci. Riots broke out across the UK earlier this week, and four more were planned in London on Wednesday. At this point we got wind of serious concerns from employers, breaking the news that Sky had sent its West London staff home early because of a planned ‘protest’ near its sprawling campus, while ITV and the BBC sent emails to all staff urging anyone with concerns to stay home. Instead, a series of counter-protests took place, led by thousands of anti-fascist demonstrators, leading to this sea of beautiful front pages in newspapers from across the political spectrum and a sense that the best of humanity had won. I was at one of those protests, in Walthamstow, and ‘heartwarming’ was the word. There was no sign of any trouble and the crowd of thousands joined in a wave of chanting for hours.

Reckoning: The TV and film industries are never immune to this kind of unrest, and the riots were no exception. We’ve spoken to producers in recent days who see this as a reminder that the industry has a responsibility to protect minorities and to speak out. A LinkedIn message from Meet the Richardsons producer Sohail Shah, a former BBC executive of South Asian descent, said that “our job in the creative industries is to highlight what’s happening and stand up together.” One indie executive I spoke to worries that the continued desire by TV commissioners to give a platform to voices like Nigel Farage, who aired to millions a day last year on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and has since become an MP for the divisive Reform UK party, is problematic. The situation will hopefully make people stand up and listen.