OPEN LETTER TO THE CHANCELLOR, RISHI SUNAK

The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP Chancellor of the Exchequer HM Treasury 1 Horse Guards Road SW1A 2HQ 24th March 2020

Dear Chancellor,

We’re aware of the extraordinary pressure you’re under in these unprecedented times. And we are grateful – as employers – for the measures you’ve already taken to help companies like ours weather the storm and protect staff jobs. But we’re writing to ask you to do more to extend that protection to the part of our workforce who find themselves uniquely vulnerable in this moment: freelancers and the self-employed.

In our industry – – freelancers make up a huge proportion of the people we work with. British television’s global success and reputation would be utterly impossible without them. These are not optional or peripheral roles, but some of the most important jobs and some of the most talented people in the sector. And yet at a time when so much production has come to a halt simultaneously, they find themselves suddenly without work and almost entirely excluded from the protective measures that cover their peers. Many are facing real economic distress and personal hardship at an already deeply unsettling time. Swift measures to bring financial aid to those who have lost income are vital – both on a human level and to ensure that this part of the country’s creative industries stands a chance of recovery once the crisis has passed.

We’re aware that we are among many making this argument on behalf of the self-employed, and we note the comments of your ministerial colleagues about your willingness to keep reviewing the situation and see if there are further steps you can take. In this case, we would strongly urge that you do so.

Yours sincerely,

Jaimie D’Cruz, Rodney Brooks and Evie Buckley - Acme Films Matt Richards, Ian Cundall and Andy Joynson - Air TV Ed Stobart – Alleycats Films James Burstall and Laura Bessell – Argonon Group Tom Brisley, Iain Pelling and John Smithson - Arrow International Media Jane Kelly & Philip McGovern - Big Mountain Productions Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice - Big Talk Productions Sarah Murch – Blakeway North Ed Coulthard, Claire Bosworth, David Hodgkinson, James O’Reilly – Blast! Films Dan Chambers and Justine Kershaw – Blink Films Nick Godwin and Tom Porter – BriteSpark Films Richard Tulk-Hart – Buccaneer Media Dinah Lord - Caravan Media Jodi Shields, Jenne Casarotto & Ian Devlin - Casarotto Ramsay and Associates Ltd Hannah Chambers - Chambers Management Ltd Sophie Gardiner - Chapter One Pictures Jake Cassels and Jason Mitchell - The Connected Set Murray Boland and Danielle Lux - CPL Productions Elaine Hackett - Crackit Productions Dov Freedman and Charlie Russell – Curious Films Camilla Lewis, Rob Carey & Paul Day - Curve Media Abi Harris - CYSA Films Rachel Arnold and Jon Green - Definitely Alastair Cook, Robert Davis, Larry Walford - Double Act Productions Dermot Lavery and Michael Hewitt - DoubleBand Films Sir Lenny Henry and Angela Ferreira - Douglas Road Productions Richard Bond - Dragonfly Film & Television Productions Tamsin Summers & Rachel Drummond Hay - Drummer Television Donna Clark – DSP Kevin Batchelor - Electric Robin Sarah Booth, Lucinda Hicks, Richard Johnston, Bella Lambourne, Derek O’Gara, John Parsons, Peter Salmon – Endemol Shine UK Colin Barr – Expectation Entertainment Roy Ackerman - Films of Record Nicole Kleeman, Mark Roberts, Iain Scollay - Firecrest Films Neale Simpson - Fizz Colleen Flynn & Nick Underhill - Flicker Productions Magnus Temple, John Hay, Nicola Hill, Nic Brown, Hana Canter and Melissa Hameed – The Garden Kate Vogel and Kat Mansoor - Halcyon Pictures Robert Cannan - Hellflower Films Wendy Rattray, Rosie Riding, Natalie Hill, Terri Langan - Hello Halo Productions Ed Taylor – Honey Bee TV Charles Lauder – The Indie Club Catherine Lynch and Katy Manley – Initial Andrew Palmer - KEO films Jonathan Stadlen - Knickerbockerglory Alexis Price, Nick Emmerson and David Phillips - Koska Martin Haines and Karen Wilson - Kudos Lorraine Charker-Phillips, Simon Dickson, Jo Taylor - Label 1 Ollie Tait – Lambent Productions Ros Taylor - Leopard Pictures Ltd Richard Bradley and Nick Catliff - Lion Television Richard McKerrow, Kieran Smith, Letty Kavanagh, Anna Beattie, Sara Ramsden, Sarah Thomson-Woolley & Rupert Frisby – Love Productions Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding - Lupus Films Nick Curwin, Scarlett Ewens & Edwina Silver – Matisse Media Simon Knight - Maverick TV Lynn Sutcliffe – Mighty Productions Louis Theroux, Nancy Strang, Arron Fellows & Sophie Ardern - Mindhouse Productions Morgan Matthews, Clare Voyce, Kate Collier and Sophie Leonard – Minnow Films David Granger and Will Macdonald – Monkey Kingdom Ed Rubin – New Regency Television International Cat Lewis – Nine Lives Media and The Indie Club Neil Duncanson and Steve Gowans - North One Layla Smith, Roz Pound and Holly Pye – Objective Media Group Jane Manning, Matt Robins, Adam Bullmore and Jos Cushing – October Films Tina Flintoff and Nick Hornby - Optomen Television Laura Mansfield and Helen Veale - Outline Productions Catherine Considine - Personal Managers Association Thomas Viner - Pioneer Productions Grant Mansfield – Plimsoll Productions Stuart Cabb - Plum Pictures Ltd David DeHaney – Proper Content Dimitri Doganis, Tom Barry and Liesel Evans – Raw Jim Allen – RDF Television Nick Read - Red Zed Films Rachel Platt - Reef Television James Fox and Kitty Walshe – Remarkable Television Alex Cooke and Alan Hayling – Renegade Pictures Joanna Ball and Lisa Cox – Ricochet Kay Mellor OBE - Rollem Productions Emily Hudd, Iain Wimbush, Fintan Maguire and Lucy Rothery - Rumpus Media Henry Singer - Sandpaper Films Matt Bennett, Tanya Shaw and Tim Whitwell – Shine TV Henrietta Colvin - Sid Gentle Films Karen Ross – Sidney Street Productions Jane Featherstone and Dan Isaacs - Sister Tricia Cooklin - SmokeyBlue Media Jez Nelson – Somethin’ Else Melanie Leach and Andrew MacKenzie – South Shore André Singer - Spring Films Nick Bullen – Spun Gold Dave Nath and Peter Beard – Story Films Stuart Prebble and Danielle Graham - StoryVault Films Tim Harcourt – Studio Lambert Neil Crombie, Joe Evans and Caroline Turner – Swan Films Rukhsana Mosam - Ten66 Harry Bell, Brendan Hughes, Karen Thornton and Diane Dunbar - Tern Television Steve Humphries – Testimony Films Damian Kavanagh - Tiger Aspect Productions Ulla Streib - Tin Roof Media Helen Tonge and Ian Bradshaw - Title Role Productions David Parfitt - Trademark Films Andrew Sheldon and Jess Fowle – True North Karen Smith - Tuesday’s Child Television Tim Carter, David Brindley, Dan Adamson, Shireen Abbott and David Clews - Twofour Group David Geli & Pollyanna McGirr - UTC Artist Management Ltd Anna Miralis – Wall To Wall Leanne Klein and Helena Ely - Wall to Wall and Twenty Twenty Ronald Goes and Maria Keaveney - Warner Brothers International Television Production Sunil Patel – Whisper Paul Islwyn Thomas – Wildflame Productions David Dugan, Ian Duncan and Allison Todd – Windfall Films Archie Baron – Wingspan Productions Sachin Dosani – Wonderhood Studios Michelle Chappell - Workerbee Debra Blenkinsop, Peter Holmes and Ruth Phillips - Zeppotron Productions Matt Graff - Zig Zag Productions Greg Sanderson - Zinc TV London

The following individuals also wanted to add their names to this letter:

Kandise Abiola Andrew Allen Caroline Allward Joy Ash Mel Bannergee Tosca Barnes Claire Barry Anna Bates Zac Beattie Diane Bernhardt Rachel Blewitt Katie Buchanan Rebecca Burrell Che Charles James Christie-Miller Janet Chute Rupert Clague Anna Cox Tom Currie Rowan Deacon Lisa Douglas Craig Ellis Leo Fawkes Simon Ford Celine Gilbert Jazz Gowans Carla Grande Irina Guimaraes Katy Hall Nasfim Haque Helen Hawken Mark Hebden Ria Hebden James Higgins Clare Hix Nick Holt Kiz Hoque Zoe Hutton Olivia Isaacs Sunshine Jackson Farrah Jaufuraully Sophie Jones Karen Kelly James Kent Jen Kerrison Nicola Key Darren J King Femi Ladeinde Scott Langridge Sarah Leach Marc Lorber Iris Maor Alison Martin Mike McDowall Alexandra McGrail Steve McGrail Jane Merkin Meera Mistry Mark Morley Joanna Ogden Wendie Ottewill Fi Peet Louise Peet Miranda Peters Lewis Price Susannah Price Jack Rampling Mark Rossiter Liz Rumbold Saskia Rusher Lyttanya Shannon Graham Sherrington Mandy Sherwood Julia Speed Elliott Swinburn Donna Taberer Tim Taggart Richard Thomson Talya Tibbon Allison Todd Luned Tonderai Rachel Tracy Aisha von Nahmmacher Will Wilkinson Samantha Williams Victoria Wilson Paul Windle Henry Wood Lara Wood Carla Wright