Our vision for a revitalised BBC

As the government reviews the future of the BBC, Equity has some radical ideas on how to revitalise this foundational civic institution. 

Our vision is for a genuinely public broadcaster, which is accountable to the millions of people across the UK who fund it, as well as the thousands of workers who create its value.

The ongoing Charter review is an exceptional opportunity to refound the BBC as an arm of the welfare state, in which arts and culture are enshrined as an essential public service — alongside health, education, housing and social security. Under the principle of universality, everyone has access to the same BBC services, regardless of their wealth or status.

BBC investment and work opportunities must be spread fairly across the nations and regions, enabling people to build a lifelong career in arts and entertainment, regardless of where they are from.

Without BBC continuing drama, my career would not exist. Every professionally paid, credited role I have secured, the work that allowed me to enter and remain in the industry,  has come through BBC soaps and dramas. This is not an individual success story; it is evidence of how the UK acting workforce is actually built. Continuing drama functions as the primary entry-level employment system for screen acting in this country, particularly for regional and working-class talent.

BBC Royal Charter review

Background

On 16 December 2025, the government published a Green Paper that launched the review of the BBC’s Royal Charter.

The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC, and is reviewed approximately every 10 years. It sets out the BBC’s objectives and purposes, as well as how it is governed and regulated. The current charter runs until 31 December 2027.

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Equity's response

Equity boycotted the survey linked to the Green Paper as we believe it to be flawed. But we are engaging with the government’s consultation on our own terms.

In our formal submission to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), we proposed a refounding of the BBC by means of democratisation, regionalistation and cooperativisation.

We also submitted a response to the Culture Committee’s inquiry on the future of the BBC. We underlined that one of the corporation’s overarching public purposes must be to create art and entertainment, and that it must strictly adhere to the principles we outlined in our AI Vision Statement.

Read Equity's BBC Charter response

The public service angle of (BBC) drama means that often topics are explored which may be abandoned by other outlets and this reflects and enhances the lives of the British audiences eager to watch and reflect as well as be entertained. 

Letter to the culture secretary

In January 2026, unions representing the BBC's workforce - including Equity - wrote to the Culture Secretary after the DCMS opened its public consultation on the BBC's Royal Charter renewal.

The unions emphasised the Charter Renewal as representing "an invaluable opportunity to address issues relating to [the BBC's] funding, governance and editorial standards", before going on to highlight the fundamental principles that should underpin the Charter.

The unions - comprising Equity, Bectu, NUJ, Writers' Guild of Great Britain, and the Musicians' Union - sent the letter under the banner of the Broadcasting, Entertainment and Arts Unions (BEAU) group.

Read BEAU's letter to culture secretary

Why the BBC is an essential part of the UK's creative ecosystem

Equity members share how the BBC has shaped their careers and why the broadcaster is essential to the wider cultural landscape of the UK.

BBC radio drama has given me my first job as well as my ongoing career. As a listener it’s expanded my mind, challenged my opinions and given me solace, helping me feel less alone. Stories can be told in audio that are far more experimental than in the relative financial constraints of television, and representing voices across Britain.

Having started my acting TV career at the BBC 35 years ago on The Sharp End and going on to appear in many other fantastic regional BBC dramas and comedies, I’m a fierce champion of the opportunities it offers and the cultural value to the country, telling working class stories and representing diverse communities across the nations.

A chunk of money from a TV engagement (rather than the weekly wage of a theatre performer) can give a real boost to confidence and economic stability.   Production hubs based around the country enable performers not based in London to pursue a career.

Continuing dramas are important because, as well as the cultural representation of working class communities, they provide an entry point for so many disciplines, behind the camera and in front. My first TV acting job was on Eastenders, followed by Casualty, Holby and Doctors. These shows provided an invaluable training ground, allowing actors like me to develop their careers in environments designed to nurture new talent. Simply put, I wouldn’t have got a foot on the ladder, without them.

The BBC has provided me, as well as many other actors, with the means to enjoy a relatively good life through its employment, but more importantly it provides the people of this country, and abroad, a dependable service by the spreading of news and information, not only by documentation of world affairs but by exposure to drama, which can spread education of the human condition for the benefit of mankind. The BBC has earned respect throughout the world and should be supported fully in the future.