THE BBC has claimed that the hit TV show The Traitors met staffing rules following a row that the broadcaster overlooked Scottish off-screen talent in favour of those based in London.
The broadcaster has claimed that the number of Scotland-based staff working on the hit reality TV show, which is filmed near Alness in the Highlands, increased between the first and second series.
Ofcom sets out-of-London criteria for production companies which are supposed to encourage firms to make more programmes, spend more money, and employ greater numbers of staff outside of the English capital.
The regulations require producers to meet two of three criteria to qualify as out-of-London. These are having a “substantive base” in the region, investing 70% of production spend and having at least 50% of the off-screen talent outside London.
Last month Peter Strachan, who sits on the board of trade body Directors UK, accused the BBC of “depriving” Scots of opportunities as his analysis of the show's off-screen employees claimed the BBC was failing to comply with Ofcom’s regulations.
He alleged that 81% of The Traitors season three production team was based in England and that only 7% of off-screen talent was used in series one and 6% in series two.
Strachan said that just 4% of the “above the line roles” at Studio Lambert-produced The Traitor’s were filled by staff based in Scotland – and by removing a Glasgow-based executive producer it would be 0%.
The BBC have previously denied Strachan claims with BBC Scotland's new director Hayley Valentine claiming that Scotland-based production staff has increased between series one and series two.
The Scottish Affairs Committee chairperson, Glasgow West Labour MP Patricia Ferguson (below), wrote to the BBC asking the broadcaster to clarify its commitment to Ofcom’s regulations regarding regional production spend in Scotland for The Traitors.
Her letter followed an appearance by Valentine before a Scottish Parliament committee in January where she was quizzed alongside the BBC’s director general Tim Davie on the same subject.
The BBC claim The Traitors is classified as a Scottish production under Ofcom’s rules because its production company Studio Lambert has a “substantive base” in the country.
The letter said series one had been allocated to Scotland on this basis, not on “spend or staffing in Scotland”.
In her letter Ferguson asked for the latest available data on the proportion of show's production budget spent specifically in Scotland, and the proportion of staff working on the production who are Scotland-based across the three series.
In her reply, Valentine (below) said: “Although the data is not yet available to compare all three series, we can confirm that the number of Scotland-based production staff has increased between series one and series two, with the BBC, Studio Lambert Scotland and Screen Scotland working together on training and development relating to specialist reality television production at this scale.”
Valentine added that a session held at the BBC's Pacific Quay base in Glasgow last year resulted in 19 of the 30 attendees being offered a job on the show.
However, Ferguson said questions remained as Valentine failed to mention any specific numbers.
She said: “I'm delighted that one of the most popular shows in the UK is shot in the Scottish Highlands.
“However, it's key that the BBC makes sure that the local creative industry and the economy can benefit from this production.
“BBC Scotland's reply doesn't offer specific numbers about the amount of money it's spending on The Traitors in Scotland, or the proportion of Scotland-based production staff.”
