Edinburgh TV Festival readies social mobility panel

The Edinburgh TV Festival is to explore social mobility at a panel debate and training session in London later this week.

Channel 4 social affairs editor Jackie Long will chair a panel that includes Channel 4 deputy director of programmes and head of popular factual Kelly Webb-Lamb (pictured); Labour MP Tracy Brabin; and London School of Economics sociology professor Sam Friedman.

In partnership with ITN and ScreenSkills, the organisation will tackle the pervasive class barriers in place across the TV industry, and present 10 ways to break the “class ceiling”.

Webb-Lamb is to discuss workable solutions for the industry, while Brabin will explore the Labour Party’s inquiry into the “class-shaped hole” in the performing arts and Friedman is to discuss his recent book, The Class Ceiling: Why It Pays To Be Privileged, on how employers can drive social mobility.

The panel will be followed by an interactive presentation on unconscious bias from Femi Otitoju of Challenge Consultancy.

The event kicks off on Wednesday (13 February) at 9.30am at Soho Theatre, with the panel starting at 10.20am and unconscious bias training following at 11.45am.

In December 2017, Edinburgh waded into the #MeToo movement with an affecting “TV: A Culture of Abuse?” event – a similar panel set-up featuring Naked Attraction presenter Anna Richardson and outgoing UKTV boss Darren Childs.