Recommendation 4

HM Government Acknowledged

19. The UK media plays a vital role in our society and therefore has an important responsibility to shape our values around tolerance and respect of those with different faiths and beliefs. We agree with the Committee regarding the importance of a vibrant and diverse media sector so that everyone, including Muslim women, can see themselves and the issues that matter to them reflected authentically on-screen and to give greater ownership over their own storytelling. 20. Although media organisations in the UK are operationally and editorially independent, the Government expects the media sector to go further to ensure a diverse pool of talent both on and off-screen and to avoid the same people determining what stories get told and who tells them. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport reiterated this last year, asking for “much greater urgency to diversify the TV workforce, to move commissioning out of London and to ensure the whole nation is reflected in the story we tell ourselves about ourselves as a nation.” 21. There are a number of initiatives and regulatory processes which seek to remove barriers to entry and progression and improve representation across the media sector. In the case of TV and radio, Ofcom has a statutory role under the Communications Act 2003 to track and monitor off-screen diversity. 22. The UK also has a diverse radio sector with many ethnic commercial and community radio stations that serve different communities including Muslim communities. The Government increased community radio funding from £450,000 in 2024/25 to £1 million in 2025/26 to help support the growth and sustainability of community radio stations and encourage its development particularly in underserved areas and for underserved audiences. On 17 March, the Government published the Local Media Action Plan. This confirms the £1 million funding increase for community radio for 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29. 23. Additionally, the BBC has existing obligations to ensure that its output and services overall provide a duly accurate, authentic portrayal and representation of the diverse communities of the whole of the UK. In delivering on these obligations, the BBC is a key provider of religious content, and Ofcom figures show that of the public service broadcasters, the BBC currently offers over 99% of the Religion & Ethnics output (167/168 hours).2 In December 2025, the Government launched the BBC Charter Review, which will write the next chapter of the BBC’s story. As part of the Charter Review, we are looking at how the BBC reflects and serves all audiences and tells unifying national stories, as well as, reviewing BBC’s representation on and off-screen. 24. Finally, as an arm’s length body of DCMS, the British Film Institute (BFI) has put in place the ‘BFI Diversity Standards’ which are mandated across all BFI funding applications and require commitments in areas such as on-screen representation, off-screen creative leadership, and audience development. The core purpose of the Standards is to address under-representation, including at the intersection of gender and religion. 25. The BFI also works with external organisations to create dedicated spaces for Muslim creatives. They are a key supporter of the Muslim International Film Festival which aims to amplify Muslim storytelling; they work with UK Muslim Film, a charity which aims to improve on-screen representation; and they represent Muslim filmmakers through their annual ‘Woman with a Movie Camera’ Summit which hosts events to discuss intersectional challenges, with sessions featuring British Muslim filmmakers like Tina Gharavi and Warda Mohamed. This is in addition to BFI funding for Muslim women’s projects, such as the high-profile Brides (2025) directed by Nadia Fall from a screenplay by Suhayla El-Bushra. 26. While we welcome the work already being done across media and the creative industries, we remain committed to working towards opening more opportunities for people from all backgrounds to work across the media sector. We want British storytelling that reflects the full diversity of people and experiences across the UK, so that more people, like the Muslim female community, can see themselves reflected as part of our national story.