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British RoyalsPrince & Princess of Wales

The Duke of Cambridge wants to change the way television reports on climate change

William, Duke of Cambridge

The Duke of Cambridge attended a roundtable discussion with the heads of all broadcasting stations in the United Kingdom with one purpose in mind: changing the way climate change is reported upon.

BAFTA posted about the roundtable discussion afterwards on its website, saying that the meeting was held to “discuss the challenges and opportunities in making climate change an integral part of the cultural conversation for all audiences from a daytime cookery show to a prime-time drama.”

The discussion, which William attended in his capacity as BAFTA’s President, included the commissioning editors of the four major broadcasters: the BBC, ITV, Sky, and Channel 4. BAFTA convened the meeting, which was chaired by its COO, Kevin Price.

It presented “an opportunity for senior leaders from across the major broadcasters to come together to discuss the environment and the impact it will have on the programmes they create and the way in which TV and programming can have a positive impact on repairing the planet.”

Amanda Berry, BAFTA’s CEO said, “It is incredibly encouraging to start this new year and decade with the Duke, who is passionate about the environment, joining senior broadcast leaders to discuss how the TV industry can help to highlight climate change – and the opportunities to make a difference – within their programming.

“At BAFTA, we believe that the creative industries represent the greatest opportunity to put these issues in the spotlight.”

One of the commissioning editors, Clare Mottershead, who works in Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment at the BBC, said that “I enjoyed being part of the discussion today with The Duke of Cambridge and commissioners from across the industry.

“The BBC is committed to making sure environmental sustainability is an ongoing part of the national conversation via a wide range of programming – as well as offering up positive solutions for audiences.  Today was a fantastic opportunity for us all to share ideas and explore how we can further raise awareness of this important issue.”

BAFTA notes that UK broadcasters have launched Planet Placement, which is “a creative guide to putting the planet into programme editorial” and compiled a subtitles report that showed how infrequently the climate is mentioned on television, with words like ‘picnic’ or ‘cake’ receiving more mentions.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.