“It’s all a bit of a mess, really,” says Charlotte Humphreys. “I was living in south London, which had the most cases of Covid-19 in the UK, so I packed some of my most important stuff into Ikea bags and left.
“I’m paying £700 a month for a room I’m not living in, my stuff is at four different addresses and I’m staying with my Dad, who has a terminal lung condition. I bought a car, an absolute banger, for £275, because I need to get shopping for my Dad.”
The RTS launched its Technology Bursary Scheme in 2015. The initiative supports students from lower-income households studying science, technology, engineering or maths (Stem) subjects, with the aim of tempting them into a career in the media industry when they graduate.
Our first group of five students comprised four men and one woman. This year, we awarded eight bursaries. For the first time, we have equal numbers of male and female students. Is this a blip, or are we moving towards a more equal gender balance?
2019 sees the RTS offering more than double the number of bursaries compared to the number at launch in 2014.
This year, the list of eligible courses was substantially expanded and for the first time the RTS invited applications from students studying a ScreenSkills accredited higher national diploma. For 2019, 35 bursaries for Television Production and Broadcast Journalism students and eight bursaries for Technology students have been awarded.
The 2018 bursary scheme offers 25 bursaries for Television Production and Broadcast Journalism students and seven bursaries for Computing and Engineering undergraduates bringing the total amount invested in the two schemes to £133,000 this year.
When I learnt of the Royal Television Society (RTS) bursaries in 2015, I knew I had to apply. Any organisation actively committed to the diversification and inclusion of underrepresented groups within the British media will always hold a place in my heart. Plus, being part of the RTS is a great opportunity to network with media industry leaders - an opportunity that I was very unlikely to stumble across as a young black woman, from a low-income family.
I recently spent a week in the commissioning department at UKTV. I arrived at the reception and gave my name, braced for the understandable response that I should leave immediately due to my lack of relevance and the fact that everyone here was very busy getting on with their jobs. But no, I was welcomed in.
As I walked through the turnstile, I expected alarms to ring out - “Unauthorised entry! You do not belong here! And also sort your hair out; seriously, what’s going on there?” but once again I passed through without an eyebrow raised.
I received the RTS Television Production bursary in 2015, so I’m approaching the end of my course at the University of Westminster.
Across my three years, I can’t overstate how much help and support the RTS bursary scheme and my RTS mentor have given me, with plentiful guidance and advice on my career path.
I started at Norwich University of the Arts in 2014, after being out of education for several years. I was battling with mental-health issues and felt unsure about which direction I wanted to steer my life.
Screenwriting had always been a secret passion, so I picked a course that would allow me to bring my characters to life. I applied to the RTS Bursary on a whim. I am so thankful that I did.
If traditional broadcasters are to thrive in an era of social media they need to emulate some of the best qualities of Steve Hewlett’s journalism. That was the essence of the first Steve Hewlett Memorial Lecture, given by BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson, a friend and colleague of Hewlett’s.
Robinson outlined the challenges facing BBC News and other traditional news broadcasters in a heartfelt talk delivered to a packed auditorium at London’s University of Westminster.
