Freelance comedy and entertainment producer Meriel Beale has become Bectu’s first bullying and harassment officer.
The broadcasting union has created the role to help empower freelancers to speak out, arguing that a fear of losing work, and a lack of an HR infrastructure for the self-employed, means that incidences of bullying often stay hidden.
Beale, who has worked on Joe Lycett’s BBC1 show The Time it Takes, ITV’s Pride of Britain Awards and Channel 5’s The Story of Strictly Come Dancing, said she had suffered from bullying herself.
“There is so much anxiety about job security right now and for freelancers it’s all about reputation; they can’t speak up,” she said. “The biggest feedback I get is from people saying ‘I’ve nobody to speak to’.”
Beale will now set about raising awareness of the issue and draw up an action plan for tackling it over the coming months.
In February, Beale set up Cheer Up Love, which organises comedy-related events that are primarily designed as a safe space for women to discuss sensitive subjects.
Its events have covered issues such as coping with rejection, dealing with self-isolation and social distancing, and racism in comedy. Beale has partnered with the likes of ITV’s gender-parity Comedy 50:50 initiative and Next Up Comedy to host the discussions.
The initial phase of the role will be to raise awareness and drum up ideas, with tangible actions to be drawn up over the coming months.
Beale hopes the creation of her post will “send a message to the industry that this is an issue that needs a dedicated position”.
