ReCARE TV: Reality Television, Working Practices and Duties of Care
We are a 3-year research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to investigate reality television, working practices and duties of care.
Reality TV is a significant and highly controversial site of media production that has rapidly expanded over the last two decades with an increasing share of the UK's £1.48bn global TV export market. High profile concerns around mental health risks have led to changes to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code around improved welfare for participants, whilst broadcasters increasingly understand a need for the continued evolution of care practices across the sector.
We will be interviewing policy makers, broadcasters, production crew and participants to investigate how care is understood and experienced across reality television, asking four overarching research questions:
Production
How is care understood, mediated and practiced by different workers across reality television production?
Participation
How should the working experiences of participants inform our understanding of care in RTV?
Policy
How is care understood, inscribed and implemented in policy and industry decision-making?
Care
How can the analysis of care be incorporated into theorisations of cultural labour in the creative industries?
Black in Focus
If you are a Black television worker, please take part in our survey and share your experience.
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Our partners:
Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
Bectu
