UK film and TV industry at risk of worker “exodus” due to mental health crisis, according to charity

The UK’s Film and TV Charity has said the local industry is at risk of a “mass exodus” of workers due, in part, to a mental health crisis exacerbated by the production downturn and lack of support.

The organisation launched its full report from its 2024 Looking Glass Survey which previously revealed that 35% of the 4,300 respondents described their mental health as “poor” or “very poor” – up from 24% in 2022.

The report suggests several underlying causes are responsible for the findings, most notably the downturn in production. The percentage of those out of work has tripled since 2022, where it was 5%, to 15% in 2024. Respondents reported increases in fears around job security, with only 13% feeling their job is safe; and financial worries now impacting 79% of workers (compared to 63% in 2022).

“We are at risk of seeing a potential exodus of skilled and experienced workers, from directors to scriptwriters, and from directors of photography to set designers,” said Film and TV Charity CEO Marcus Ryder, referring to the 64% of those surveyed who were considering leaving the industry and the 32% who had already taken steps to do so.

“It would be wrong to attach this risk solely to the mental health crisis the industry is facing, but there is no doubt it is a major contributory factor.

In regards to bullying and harassment, the Charity found there was still room for improvement, especially around how complaints are handled. While the percentage of those experiencing bullying or harassment was down from 48% to 41%, only half of those affected went on to report it. More respondents also reported that the situation had got worse (21%) and not better (16%) after reporting an incident to someone at work or an official authority.

Looking ahead

There was, however, a significant decrease in those reporting to work more than 50 hours a week – down from 33% in 2022 to 18% in 2024. Results around culture shifts had also improved, with 45% seeing positive industry changes around mental health and well-being, and a decrease in fear of judgement around the topic (34%, down from 38%).

The Charity recently announced its inaugural ambassadors, including filmmaker Amma Asante and film and TV actor David Morrissey, who will help promote wellbeing and healthier working practices in the screen industries.

The organisation is also evolving its Whole Picture Toolkit – a selection of resources and guidance aimed at productions to embed wellbeing and mental health practices – into an industry standard. Development of the standards is being led by Anna Mishcon and Andy Glynne, and has received support from organisations including BBC, Apple TV+, Disney+ UK, Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, Fremantle, Channel 4, ScreenSkills and Bafta.

Source： Ellie Calnan/ScreenScotland