Anne Mensah claims Netflix UK needs to increase diversity
Anne Mensah, Netflix UK’s content chief, has criticised the platform’s lack of diverse stories, saying the industry needs to address its inherent biases so that it can “move forwards”.
Mensah recently discussed the growing issue of industry bias during a session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, explaining that she is “super-hyper-focused” on addressing shortcomings with diverse stories in UK television.
“One of the tricky things is [the industry] is a closed circuit and a closed shop,” she explained, adding that getting “beyond your own biases and getting past your own normal” is difficult. “The people who watch TV are not in this room, and until we admit that, we won’t move forwards,” she continued.
Explaining the importance of addressing the issue, she said: “If you can work with diverse content creators, let them find their truth.”
Mensah then pointed to Supacell as an example of important content, saying, “Rapman was speaking from his truth and I can’t do that. Weirdly, we went to same primary school, 100 years apart, but I can’t speak for him.”
Supacell follows a group of Black working-class superheroes who live in South London and explores themes such as sickle cell disease, knife crime, racial profiling, poverty, and more. Although it was initially a hard sell for some of the major networks, Netflix picked it up in 2019, and its increasing popularity recently led to it being confirmed for a second season.
During the session, Mensah also addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the Richard Gadd-helmed drama series Baby Reindeer, saying they “stand by the fact we made the show” because the show, being incredibly nuanced and “controversial”, has done more good than bad, including encouraging more men to report sexual abuse or call hotlines as a result of the show’s content.
“I don’t make shows for publicity’s sake,” Mensah said, directly addressing the ongoing feud between the show’s creator and the woman who has come forward claiming to be the real-life version of Martha Scott. “It was about giving the creator the space to tell that story. If [we’re] chasing publicity, its the antithesis of what I believe in. The audience is incredibly clever and diverse, and they spot good [work]. A really controversial show that isn’t great goes nowhere,” she added.
A handful of new and returning shows were also announced during the session, including an adaptation of Bella Mackie’s book How To Kill Your Family starring Anya Taylor-Joy, a documentary detailing the 2005 London bombings, a new Gordon Ramsey documentary, and more, per Deadline.
While the release date for the second season of Supacell has yet to be confirmed, Rapman recently promised more fiery escapades, explaining: “That future you saw at the end of the pilot in London, that exact future doesn’t exist anymore.”