Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination: Diverse and marginal groups worst hit in pervasive culture of silence

This Bullying Awareness Week, the Film and TV Charity has published its latest Looking Glass Deep Dive, focusing on workplace bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

11 November 2025

This Bullying Awareness Week, the Film and TV Charity has published its latest Looking Glass ‘24 Deep Dive, focusing on Workplace bullying, harassment, and discrimination in UK film, TV and cinema.

With rates of bullying, harassment, and discrimination up to three times worse in the film and TV industry than in the wider working population, the report, which further examines data from the Charity’s 2024 Looking Glass Report, outlines areas where progress has been seen, how it disproportionately affects some groups, as well as underlining the urgent need for further change.

The report also sees CIISA head, Jen Smith, highlight the economic as well as the human cost of the failure to address the issues highlighted.

Key insights

A widespread problem: 32% had experienced bullying or harassment over the past 12 months. 19% had experienced discrimination. Combined, 41% (two in every five respondents) had experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination over the past 12 months.
Culture of silence: Over half (53%) of those who experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination in the past year did not report it to anyone.
Leadership accountability: 74% of those who experienced bullying or harassment identified their manager as the source.
Lack of industry’s capability: 42% of respondents do not believe that reports of bullying, harassment, or discrimination would be acted on where they work, regardless of who the perpetrator is.
Training gaps: 27% of respondents who had a colleague report such behaviour felt unequipped to respond effectively

The report highlights that experiences of bullying or harassment in the past 12 months were disproportionately reported by certain demographic groups: individuals with a disability (40%, compared to 30% among those with no disability), neurodivergent respondents (39%, compared to 30% among neurotypical respondents), those caring for adult dependents (38%, compared to 29% among those caring for children and 32% among those with no caring responsibilities), Black and Global Majority respondents (36%, compared to 31% among white respondents), LGBTQ+ respondents (36%, compared to 32% among heterosexual respondents),women (35%, compared to 27% among men), and Hindus (52%), Buddhists (43%), and Muslims (42%). The data also allowed for more specific detail on the nature of discrimination certain groups faced.

The impact of intersectionality

Intersectional analysis reveals that individuals with multiple marginalised identity characteristics face even greater risks. For example, nearly half (46%) of Black and Global Majority respondents from working-class backgrounds reported experiencing bullying or harassment in the past 12 months – significantly higher than their peers from other combinations of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Gradual decline in prevalence of bullying

Despite the sobering findings, the data reveals a gradual decline in the prevalence of bullying, harassment, and discrimination in the film and TV industry – falling from 53% in 2021 to 46% in 2022, and now 41% in 2024 – providing signs of positive change and that specific interventions from across the industry are starting to have an impact.

The Charity’s own intervention support, the Bullying Advice Service, launched in 2021, continues to provide impartial, one-to-one support and guidance for all industry professionals, whether freelance or permanent, who have experienced or witnessed such behaviour while working in the sector.

Establishing a reporting body

Both managers and non-managers indicated that establishing a confidential, independent reporting body would be helpful for dealing with reports of bullying, harassment and discrimination. This highlights the importance of the forthcoming full launch of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which the Charity is committed to working closely with.

The failure to grip this problem has significant economic consequences; workplace conflict leads to a staggering £1.8 billion in lost productivity and growth each year in the UK’s creative industries and impacts around 700,000 people. CIISA exists to close the damaging accountability gap that has persisted for too long in our creative sector. The Film and TV Charity’s work in uncovering and addressing the devastating human cost of bullying, harassment, and discrimination in the screen industries is vital and we are grateful for their valuable partnership, as we work towards our shared aims through our distinctive roles.

Jen Smith, CEO of CIISA

We’ve timed the publication of this latest Looking Glass Deep Dive for Bullying Awareness Week so that it can serves as a call to action – not just for policymakers and industry leaders, but for everyone working in film and TV. The culture of silence the report highlights must end, informal hierarchies must be challenged, and the belief that change is impossible must give way to the conviction that it can – and is – happening.

Marcus Ryder, CEO of the Film and TV Charity

Bullying Advice Service

The Charity remains committed to using its convening power to foster healthier workplace cultures and practices, while continuing to provide essential, real-time support through its Bullying Advice Service and broader wellbeing initiatives.

Download the full report PDF | 8.811 MB