Bafta acts on diversity after Wills’s passion play

‘Got to be more representative’

Prince William has helped to push through a radical scheme to increase diversity at Bafta.

The ‘ watershed’ innovations will include 120 new measures to help raise the profile of under-represented groups in the film and television industry.

The announcement follows an impassioned speech the prince made during the televised Bafta awards in February. The visibly angered royal attacked the overwhelming ‘whiteness and maleness’ of the prestigious awards.

Plans were introduced yesterday to invite 1,000 new members from diverse communities within the film industry to join Bafta – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts – at special discounted rates. in addition, wideranging membership surveys will be undertaken ‘to see who we are’, and shift the spotlight back towards British films.

‘There are going to be ten British pictures in the best British film category, up from five with new measures for voting for them,’ said Bafta chairman Krishnendu Majumdar.

‘it’s absolutely not just about people of colour and gender, which are obviously two of the most unrepresented groups. class is one of the biggest ones not just ethnicity. We’ve got to be more representative of society.

‘You just have to look at [the prince’s] speech at the film awards where he talked again about the need to do more to ensure diversity.’ Yesterday Kensington Palace said that ‘as president of Bafta, [the prince] welcomes the review as a positive step towards greater diversity’.