The gradual gentrification of Britain's creative industries is a matter of record and an all too familiar theme. The alarm has repeatedly been sounded in recent years by senior figures in the arts. In 2022, Mark Rylance memorably questioned a distribution of cultural resources in which England's most famous public school enjoys the luxury of two theatres, while arts education is relentlessly downgraded in the state sector.
Bullying and harassment towards women is still rife within the creative industries, according to a survey that found seven out of 10 of its female workforce had experienced toxic behaviour. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the industry needed to take robust action following the deeply concerning findings. The survey, undertaken by the Bectu union, found that 69% of women in the sector said they had directly experienced workplace bullying and harassment in the past 12 months.
ReedPop has confirmed the return of the scheme ahead of MCM Comic Con, which runs at ExCeL London from 24-26 October. Now in its second year, the scholarship is designed to break down barriers that often prevent talented people from working-class and underrepresented backgrounds from getting their start. For many aspiring creatives, cost is one of the biggest hurdles to building a career.
"It's amazing how quickly it's moved from being a novelty to rapidly becoming part of the creative instinct itself," he says. Unlike previous technological disruptions like mobile or social media, which took years to reach boardrooms, AI is different.
Harlow is truly blessed with so many cultural offerings, from the world's only sculpture town, to the wonderful museum, Gibberd Garden and Parndon Mill. Now we must go further and inspire the next generation by making Harlow a capital of culture for the East of England.
We have accepted the speaker's ruling on the Commons financial privilege and replaced the original amendment with another that would still offer transparency.
