Dear Prime Minister,
Firstly, congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister. We wish you every success as you lead our country through the years ahead, and we look forward to seeing your vision for a fairer, more inclusive United Kingdom become a reality.
Your appointment is particularly meaningful to many within the Deaf community. Long before becoming Prime Minister, you demonstrated a genuine commitment to inclusion and accessibility. Many of us still remember your address at the British Deaf Association's conference in Manchester, where you signed in British Sign Language (BSL). It was a powerful gesture of respect that was deeply appreciated, and one that showed a willingness to engage directly with Deaf people in our own language.
Today, we ask for your support in protecting one of Britain's greatest, yet often overlooked, cultural achievements: sign-presented television.
The United Kingdom should be immensely proud of being home to the world's only dedicated commissioning body for sign-presented television - LumoTV (previously the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust). We are a Deaf-led charity, majority staffed by Deaf BSL users, who make up 75% of the executive team. For nearly two decades, this unique model has enabled Deaf people to create high-quality programmes in British Sign Language, telling authentic stories through a Deaf lens, while nurturing generations of Deaf writers, presenters, directors, producers and crew.
This unique model is underpinned by legislation. Since the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has regulated the provision of sign-presented programming as part of the UK's public service broadcasting framework. This has enabled Britain to become a global leader in commissioning original programmes in British Sign Language, creating opportunities for Deaf talent both in front of and behind the camera, while enriching the UK's broadcasting landscape.
This is not simply a success story for the Deaf community- it is a success story for British broadcasting, creativity and cultural leadership.
As Ofcom develops its new Tier 1 Accessibility Code under the Media Act 2024, we warmly welcome its emphasis on quality. We believe that commitment is the right one. However, for British Sign Language, quality cannot simply be measured by the quantity of signed content available. It must also reflect the quality of the experience for Deaf audiences and recognise the different purposes served by sign-presented and sign- translated programming.
While both have an important role to play, they are fundamentally different.
- Sign-presented programmes are conceived, written and produced in British Sign Language from the very beginning. BSL is the primary language of the programme, with Deaf presenters, contributors and creative teams shaping stories that reflect Deaf culture, identity and lived experience. These programmes create employment, develop talent and provide authentic representation for Deaf audiences.
- Sign-translated programmes, by contrast, are existing English-language productions that have a signer added afterwards. They provide valuable access to mainstream content, but they are translations of programmes that were never created in BSL. They do not provide the same cultural authenticity, nor do they create the same opportunities for Deaf creatives or the wider Deaf production sector.
Accessibility and representation are not the same thing.
To be clear, sign-translated programming has an important place within our broadcasting landscape and remains an essential means of making mainstream television accessible to Deaf audiences. However, it should complement- not replace- sign-presented programming, which exists to protect British Sign Language as a language, celebrate Deaf culture and identity, and sustain a thriving Deaf creative sector.
The Government has already recognised British Sign Language as an official language through the British Sign Language Act 2022. The Media Act 2024 now presents a significant opportunity to ensure that this recognition is fully reflected in broadcasting legislation. As Ofcom develops the new Tier 1 Accessibility Code, there is an opportunity to create a clear legal distinction between sign-presented and sign-translated programming, recognising that they serve different purposes and deliver different outcomes.
Unless the Code distinguishes between sign-presented and sign-translated programming, there is a significant risk that providers will increasingly rely on sign- translated content because it represents the simplest route to regulatory compliance. Over time, this could unintentionally reduce investment in sign-presented programming and weaken the very ecosystem that has made the UK a world leader in Deaf-led television.
We believe future regulation should recognise these as two distinct forms of provision, with appropriate safeguards, reporting and minimum expectations for each. Sign- translated programmes provide essential access to mainstream television, while sign- presented programmes protect British Sign Language as a living language, celebrate Deaf culture, and sustain an entire creative ecosystem of Deaf writers, presenters, actors, directors, producers, editors, camera operators and production companies. Protecting that ecosystem is just as important as protecting access itself.
Independent research from Heriot-Watt University found that 91% of Deaf BSL users prefer sign-presented programmes over interpreted content. This overwhelming finding demonstrates that Deaf audiences are not simply asking for access- they are asking for programming in their own language. The 91% Mandate campaign exists to ensure that this overwhelming preference is reflected in future broadcasting policy.
Protecting sign-presented programmes is about far more than meeting accessibility targets. It is about safeguarding a recognised language, preserving a unique culture, investing in British creative talent and ensuring that future generations of Deaf people continue to see themselves represented authentically on screen.
It is also about protecting one of the UK's most distinctive creative success stories. The UK's Deaf television sector has become internationally recognised because of sustained investment in Deaf-led commissioning. If that investment declines, we risk losing not only programmes but also the writers, directors, producers, presenters and production companies whose expertise has been built over decades.
We also believe that sign-presented programming should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of one specialist broadcaster. Every public service broadcaster and major streaming platform should play a role in commissioning original sign-presented content, helping to grow the UK's creative industries and ensuring that Deaf audiences have genuine choice in the programmes available to them.
As a nation, we have built something that no other country has achieved. We should not allow it to diminish. Instead, we should celebrate it, strengthen it and ensure it remains a source of national pride.
Prime Minister, we hope your Government will stand alongside the Deaf community in protecting this unique part of Britain's broadcasting landscape. With your support, the United Kingdom can continue to lead the world in Deaf-led television and demonstrate that inclusion means not only providing access, but valuing language, culture and identity.
We look forward to working with you and your Government to help secure that future.
Yours sincerely,
Camilla Arnold
Chief Executive
On behalf of Deaf & BSL audiences, Deaf talents and supporters of British Sign Language television.
Copied:
- The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport
- The Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Secretary of State for Work & Pensions
- The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minster of State for Social Security and Disability
- Sir Ian Cheshire, Non-Executive Chair, Ofcom
- Dame Melaine Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom