Creative Diversity Network reveals 2019 UK TV Diversity Award nominees

The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) has revealed the nominees for its biennial UK Television Diversity Awards.

Held every two years to reward quality, creativity and diversity in TV that is representative of British society, this year’s ceremony takes place on Wednesday, 9 October, at the Ham Yard Hotel in London.

The UK Television Diversity Awards recognise individuals, organisations and programmes that are driving change in broadcasting around issues relating to age, body image, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, regionality, sexuality and social class.

Deborah Williams, executive director of CDN, said: “The nominees for the 2019 UK Television Diversity Awards richly reflect the ability of the UK broadcast industry to create fantastic entertaining and informative content which really engages audiences, and importantly, it shows that when the industry is willing to take a lead, it can really change the dial on diversity.”

Winners of the 2017 CDN awards included Chewing Gum, Damilola: Our Loved Boy, The Last Leg: Live From Rio, Unreported World, Mission Critical: Afghanistan, BBC Children’s In-House Production, Levi David Addai, Damian Kavanagh and Michaela Coel.

The 2019 nominees are below, with all descriptions supplied by CDN:

Production Company of the Year
Celebrating a production company’s commitment to producing diverse content.

BBC Children’s In-House Productions

BBC Studios Drama

Douglas Road Productions

Hello Halo Productions

SignPost

Broadcaster of the Year
Celebrating a broadcaster’s active, demonstrable engagement with the diversity agenda.

BBC

Channel 4

ITV Cymru

ITV News Central

Sky

Disrupter
Celebrating a piece of work that disrupts the way the industry views or tackles an issue.

Ackley Bridge (The Forge, for Channel 4)

Exodus: Our Journey Continues (Keo Films, for BBC 2)

Killed By My Debt (BBC Studios Documentary Unit, for BBC3)

Passions: Chi Chi Nwanoku OBE on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (MacLarty Brown Media in association with Field Day, for Sky Arts)

The Boy with the Top Knot (Kudos, Parti Productions for BBC 2)

Unsung Hero
Rewarding the efforts of an employee who has gone above and beyond to champion diversity or enable accessible working environments.

Corienda Brown (Chair of Channel 4’s 4Purple Network)

Matt Scarff and Georgina Marcantonio (co-chairs, ITV Pride)

Rhodri ap Dyfrig, Hansh (S4C’s online content editor)

Sangeeta Bhabra (Presenter, ITV Regional News)

Saskia Schuster (Founder, Comedy 50:50)

Commissioning
Celebrating a commission that has brought positive and authentic attention to a diverse community.

Before Grenfell (Blast! Films, for BBC 2)

Butterfly (Red Production Company, for ITV)

Famalam (BBC Studios, for BBC 3)

Informer (Neal Street Productions, for BBC 1)

Professor Green: Living in Poverty (The Garden, for BBC 3)

Off-screen Recruitment, Training & Development
Championing innovation in the provision of reasonable adjustments networks or training programmes.

BBC New Directors Initiative

Channel 4 Recruitment & Training Development

Endemol Shine UK

SignPost

Advocate in Industry
Recognising a person(s) for their work championing one of the protected characteristic communities within the broadcast industry through appearance at events, written, visual or audio work.

BBC Cape

Paul Brand, Political Correspondent, ITV News

Digital Technology
Employment of technology that has made a programme or access to programmes more every day.

BBC Reith

BBC Tours Interactive Access Film

Channel 4

ITV Calendar North/ South

Partnership
Celebrating a project partner that has supported one of the members in the delivery of diversity or inclusion related work and working environments.

BBC / Directors UK / CDN Director’s Scheme

Soundmouse

 In addition, CDN will select and present two special awards:

Uber Ally
An award for outstanding support of the Creative Diversity Network and its agenda.

Outstanding Contribution
An award for an outward-facing leader who has foregrounded diversity.