Category Archives: Coronavirus

General sense of wellbeing fell during the pandemic

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

The latest in a type of report that is best filed under “probably interesting in the long run, but hopelessly distorted by the pandemic” is the latest report from the ONS on levels of wellbeing and happiness in the UK … Continue reading →

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Vaccinated or a negative CoViD test – new guidance in Wales

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Paul Evans

From Monday 11th October new rules came into force in Wales requiring people attending large events and nightclubs (or similar premises) to prove they are either fully vaccinated or have had a negative COVID test. You can read guidance here … Continue reading →

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Vaccination mandates

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Paul Evans

While, in the UK, there’s no formal legal requirement for workers outside the care sector to be vaccinated, in LA, Variety is reporting that punters will need proof of vaccination to enter… “…restaurants of any kind (fast food establishments, coffee … Continue reading →

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Theatre employment problems must be a trigger for change

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Paul Evans

In this report (in The Stage [£]) about ongoing turmoil at The Barbican, there’s this: “Theatre workers with transferable skills transferred them. Now, they don’t appear to be rushing to transfer them back. Practically every producer and theatre manager I … Continue reading →

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Updated guidance on Covid travel restrictions in England

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Paul Evans

The UK Screen Alliance has, with Bectu feedback, been publishing guidance for safe working in post-production & VFX during the Covid 19 pandemic. This guidance has been updated to reflect today’s simplification of international travel restrictions in England which has … Continue reading →

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Philippa Childs to Nadine Dorries: “Challenge bullying and harassment and support freelancers”

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Stage[£] has picked up on the Head of Bectu’s letter to incoming Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries. Philippa has outlined what the union believes the priorities should be, specifically… Tackling bullying and harassment in the creative industries. Supporting workers and … Continue reading →

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13,000 SEISS and CJRS investigations launched (so far)

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

Looking through my back-issues of Farmer’s Weekly, there was a claim that… “…HMRC was allocated £100m of funding in the last Budget for investigations and the recouping of a suspected £3.5bn in fraudulent Covid-19 support scheme claims.” In late June, … Continue reading →

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Arts, entertainment and recreation 18.8% below its pre-covid levels

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Paul Evans

The ONS monthly estimate for July shows that the UKs Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by only 0.1% in July and is still 2.1% below its pre-pandemic level. Most of the growth was in production output (up 1.2%) while construction … Continue reading →

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Government theatre and live events insurance – “worst fears confirmed”

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Stage [£] is reporting that the government scheme, first announced in August, and described by ministers as an “important next step” in the return of live events, has been widely panned by theatre producers for not going far enough … Continue reading →

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Locked Down and Locked Out – impact of Covid pandemic on mothers working in UK TV sector

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Paul Evans

49% of respondents said they had been unable to accept work due to childcare related issues. Read the #LockedDownAndLockedOut report now on the impact of the pandemic on mothers in UK TV: https://t.co/37JAX9Djjz pic.twitter.com/JYKKUwZdK4 — Bectu (@bectu) September 9, 2021 … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Equality, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Health & Safety, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Remote working, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

James McTaggart Memorial Lecture 2021 – Jack Thorne

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Irish News gave a good introduction to the 2021 MacTaggart Lecture Jack Thorne and his theme: to draw attention to the “glaring problem” of the treatment of disabled people. Update: If you don’t have time to listen to the … Continue reading →

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Panto 2021-2 revenues expecting a hit

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Paul Evans

From The Stage [£]: “Theatres in the UK and Ireland could lose up to £23 million this Christmas due to a steep drop in pantomime ticket sales, which are lagging significantly behind previous years, according to newly published data.” It … Continue reading →

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Mental health and Covid19

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Paul Evans

There are many barometers of mental health that can be correlated with what is happening in the wider world, so it would not be appropriate to conclude that “the lockdown has generally, on balance, been good for the mental health … Continue reading →

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Vaccine passport = pickup in vaccination (in France anyway)

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Paul Evans

Regardless of one's opinion on the French 'health pass', there's one thing everyone will have to agree on: the effect on vaccination coverage in the country has been absolutely striking. pic.twitter.com/yq3Q8vRsIW — Edouard Mathieu (@redouad) August 30, 2021  

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RSC to offer socially distanced musicals for audiences reluctant to attend a full-capacity show

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Paul Evans

This will be happening in November and December, and audiences will be seated with an empty row in front of and behind them, and with one empty seat between parties, and with everyone (barring exempted people) asked to wear a … Continue reading →

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Labour shortages increase potential industrial muscle for workers

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Paul Evans

Today’s FT is full of news about how labour shortages are hitting the economy in numerous ways as a result of multiple market failures [£] which includes the pandemic, the pingdemic, market failure but obviously, we can’t add brexit to … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Economics, Employment, EU & Brexit, Gig economy workers, Inflation, IR35, Migration & working abroad, Pay & inflation, Productivity | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Covid and live events – lockdowns may not be over yet

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Paul Evans

… and in direct contradiction of the previous post here, the live events industry was very pleased to hear that Spanish studies had shown that live events could happen without a significantly increased risk of Covid transmission, but times may … Continue reading →

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Covid – mass participation events “can be conducted safely”

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Stage is reporting [£] that the government’s Covid pilot programme data has allowed the government to claim that mass participation events “can be conducted safely”, with case numbers from four months of crowds remaining in line with, or below, … Continue reading →

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Lockdowns still likely to feature

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Paul Evans

Just in case anyone is working on the basis that lockdowns are over, or covid-disruption is a diminishing feature, it’s worth noting that Israel – the country that had the most effective and rapid vaccine roll-out was reporting three weeks … Continue reading →

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Plaza guide warns of ‘skills fade’ in safety-critical live events roles

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Paul Evans

The National Rigging Advisory Group has published a briefing on the dangers of ‘skills fade’ [pdf] as people return to work in theatre and live events – many of whom have been off the tools for nearly 18 months. “Prolonged … Continue reading →

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Freelancers’ right to covid-protective clothing

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Paul Evans

I’m sharing, word-for-word, an email I’ve received from the TUC. I’m posting it here in case any members who are freelancers, have been asked to provide their own PPE, and have felt that – as a result – they have … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Employment Law and Rights, Employment status, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gig economy workers | Tagged | Leave a comment

HMG – ‘reinsurer’ of last resort’ for live events industry

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

The FT is reporting [£] the long-awaited £750m insurance package for live events. Live events have been particularly badly hit because of the fear of lockdowns blighting almost any plans that are made. The industry response is broadly (and understandably) … Continue reading →

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Self employed landscape ‘diminished’

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Paul Evans

IPSE research at the end of 2020 showed that there had been the first significant drop-off in self-employment in a decade with the number of solo self-employed in the UK falling by 5% compared to the previous year. Previously, this … Continue reading →

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UK Restart Scheme funds $2.6 in productions

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Paul Evans

U.K.’s Film and TV Production Restart Scheme Results in $2.6 Billion Worth of Productions https://t.co/TuOJyoHxx2 — Variety (@Variety) July 28, 2021

Posted in Coronavirus, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Tax incentives | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mandatory vaccinations for film & TV workers?

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Paul Evans

Incoming: from Deadline: “Mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations on film and TV productions now will be allowed, on a restricted basis, under a new agreement reached Monday between Hollywood’s unions and the major companies. The new protocols, they said in a joint … Continue reading →

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Pingdemic: Bar staff being told to delete NHS Covid-19 app

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Paul Evans

Via the BBC website.

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French ‘health pass’ update

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Paul Evans

The FT are reporting [£] that France has established a ‘health pass’ scheme to restrict access to public places (restaurants, bars, etc). The fines are less draconian than were originally proposed and the timetable has been loosened a bit, but … Continue reading →

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British content projecting Britain

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Paul Evans

I’ll be posting more on this in the coming weeks, but there are some very big concerns circulating even in Conservative circles about the potential damage that the UK could sustain due to changes in the film and TV industry. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation & VFX, BBC, Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Culture policy, EU & Brexit, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, High End TV data, Public Service Broadcasting, Quotas, Regulation, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Tax incentives, The Conservative Party, UK studios | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Useful correction on welfare entitlements for people who are self-isolating

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Paul Evans

At #PMQs, Boris Johnson suggested that everybody who's isolating due to Covid is entitled to the equivalent of living wage while they isolate. This isn't true. What they are entitled to 👇https://t.co/wsnSjvzqYg — Full Fact (@FullFact) July 22, 2021

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Doctors overwhelmingly call for continual face-mask wearing

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Paul Evans

From the BMA website: “Thousands of doctors in the UK say they want to see face coverings remain mandatory, with 90% of those taking part in a survey telling the BMA that masks should continue to be worn on public … Continue reading →

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Covid safety guidelines

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Paul Evans

The latest guidelines have been published by the government – here. The TUC aren’t impressed – their press release is here:

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Call to arms: unions everywhere must resist this

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

Friday post. Now everyone’s coming back in to the office, we’ve upgraded our lanyards so we all know where we’re comfortable. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SRHt1Gj0hf — Matt Jones (@mattcjones) July 7, 2021    

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Some wellbeing resources

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

My thanks to Adeel Amini of TV Mindset for sharing these resources. TV Mindset talks – wellbeing: The Science of Wellbeing – Practical Tips for Freelancers: “Stress Less” Session: Understanding Your Value in an Uncertain World: How To Deal With … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Disability equality, Equality, Freelance working, Illness and disability, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Workplace conflict | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Masks and R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Paul Evans

Claire Lawrence with a good post on the importance of respect when the legal underpinning for mask-wearing has gone. “In the UK, from 19th July, most of the laws requiring mask use and social distancing will be removed and so … Continue reading →

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‘Work from home’ tax relief

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Paul Evans

Employees who have worked from home during the pandemic but are now returning to offices can still claim tax relief on household expenses for this tax year. HMRC is actually pushing information out about this, specifically targeting people who worked … Continue reading →

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