Sally Phillips has criticized the BBC for only using a ‘horrific’ number of female comedy writers.
The 56-year-old actress, who co-created and wrote comedy sketch show Smack The Pony, admitted she may never be employed by the network again as she revealed how low the percentage of comedy writers is.
While the star acknowledged that there are more women doing comedy than ever before, she made it clear that this is not enough and that the industry is still “dominated by white men.”
Speaking about the Girls On Film podcastshe was asked what has changed for women and underrepresented people on screen in comedy.
She began, “Obviously there are a lot more women doing comedy, and there are probably a lot more female producers of comedy. But I think things are not right.
“The statistics about women directing and writing comedy TV comedy are quite horrifying. I think 11 percent of all TV comedies are directed exclusively by women and for the BBC I think it’s 8 percent.”
Sally Phillips has criticized the BBC for only using a ‘horrific’ number of female comedy writers as she spoke about what has changed in the industry on the Girls In Film podcast (Sally photographed L in The Hairdresser Mysteries in July)
Noting that her response would jeopardize her relationship with the Beeb, she added: “I will never be employed by the BBC again.”
But undeterred, she continued: “If you remove the people married to BBC commissioners, that drops to three per cent.
“Writers’ rooms…this is more or less true…could be 18% writers’ rooms, sort of 17/18% mixed. But solo pieces written by women are much lower.
“And if you look at women of color, I think it’s 4.5 percent of comedies directed by women, but they’re doing disproportionately well.
‘So we should have more things written and directed by women of color. Good for women in general, and especially for women of color.”
She finished, “Comedy is really, really dominated by white men. And it’s very difficult to break with that, because if you don’t get opportunities, you don’t get a chance to fail either.’
It comes after Sally recalled the ‘appalling’ abuse directed at her son Olly after he starred in her 2016 BBC documentary, A World Without Down’s Syndrome?
The Miranda actress, who shares 21-year-old Olly with her ex-husband, ship’s director Andrew Bermejo, released the documentary to highlight their family life and the joys and unique challenges of raising a child with the condition.
She said: ‘The statistics about women directing and writing comedy TV comedy are quite horrifying. I think 11 percent of all TV comedies are directed exclusively by women and for the BBC I think it’s eight percent’ (pictured in Miranda in 2012)
Although it was intended to provide an educational insight, Sally has now revealed that ‘people said the most awful things’ about her son after he was deployed.
She told The Sunday Times: ‘Olly has definitely been bullied online, and I feel like people with Down syndrome are more sensitive.
‘They are more sensitive to sadness but will feel great joy, and so if you could create a social media environment that is safe for people with Down syndrome we would all benefit. But I don’t see it.
“Even when I was making that movie, people were saying the most horrible things.”
Sally added that she thinks “anything good ever came out of social media.”
When asked if she would ever make a follow-up documentary, she admitted that the last one “cost” her.
While she’s not yet sure about another documentary, the actress remains determined to keep writing things that feature people with Down syndrome.
