‘Exodus’ from UK industry threatened as mental health of workforce deteriorates
The latest report from the Film & TV Charity has highlighted a pressing need to address the underlying causes behind worsening mental health in the UK film and TV industry.

Marcus Ryder
The Film & TV Charity’s 2024 Looking Glass Survey, available to download here, paints a bleak picture of the state of mental health and wellbeing among professionals working behind the scenes in the UK.
However, the data also shows that concerted efforts from The Film & TV Charity over the last five years to improve industry culture and conditions are starting to show results.
The report follows the release of data towards the end of 2024 that showed mental health among film and TV workers has worsened, with 30% of workers having suicidal thoughts in the last year.
As previously reported, from more than 4,300 responses to the survey, 64% were reported to be considering leaving the industry due to concerns about mental health, with 32% having taken firm steps to do so.
30% reported having thoughts of taking their own life in the past 12 months, 30% often felt lonely, up from 24% in 2022 and way above a national average of 8%, while 63% said their work in the industry has a negative effect on their mental health.
The research comes after another recent report into UK post-production, co-conducted by The Film & TV Charity, showed many people working in post-production are having their human rights impacted in a range of troubling ways, some of which are illegal.
Meanwhile, for the first time, the 2024 Looking Glass Survey asked if respondents had accessed The Film & TV Charity’s Services.
Across nearly all indicators there was a clear correlation between using the charity’s services and better mental health outcomes. This was clearly seen among respondents who had used the charity’s Whole Picture Toolkit, a free online resource to improve mental health on productions.
Only 12% of respondents felt that the industry is a mentally healthy place to work. This number rose to 25% among respondents who had worked on a production using the Whole Picture Toolkit.
35% described their mental health as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor,’ up from 24% in 2022. This number dropped to 23% among those who had worked on productions using the Whole Picture Toolkit.
The report expands on earlier headlines by exploring the impact of macro-level challenges on mental health in the industry. It also revisits the underlying causes of the crisis, identified in the first Looking Glass Survey report in 2019 as working conditions, workplace culture and the industry’s capability to support its staff.
Industry-wide uncertainty has exacerbated the mental health crisis for many, with the prolonged downturn in production contributing to increased levels of worklessness, the prevalence of financial worries and an overall sense of precarity.
On a more positive note, there has been a significant decrease in the number of people working excessive hours, The Film & TV Charity added.
Meanwhile, the report shows evidence attitudes to those experiencing mental health issues have improved and the number of people experiencing bullying, harassment, or discrimination has declined, but it also notes there is still much more work to do.
The report also shows that, while the average industry worker is at a heightened risk of poor mental health compared to the wider population, there is an even greater risk for certain groups within the industry.
Freelancers, workers with a disability or long-term health condition, neurodivergent workers, LGBTQ+ workers, carers, people from the Black and Global Majority, women, and younger workers are even more susceptible to poor mental health and to issues linked to worklessness, bullying, harassment and discrimination.
“The results of the 2024 Looking Glass Survey underline that the industry has to go much further to address urgent, persistent issues relating to mental health in our industry,” said Film & TV Charity CEO Marcus Ryder.
“We are at risk of seeing a potential exodus of skilled and experienced workers, from directors to scriptwriters, and from directors of photography to set designers – with 64% of survey respondents saying they were considering leaving the industry and 32% already having taken firm action to do so.
“It would be wrong to attach this risk solely to the mental health crisis the industry is facing, but there is no doubt it is a major contributory factor. At the same time, while the survey results paint a bleak picture, they also reveal that focused and targeted interventions work – as evidenced by the positive impact on mental health on productions that have worked with the charity. We should also recognise that culture change takes time, and acknowledge that, for example with issues such as bullying, where the entire industry has recognised that there is a problem that needs to be addressed, we have seen the dial shift in a positive direction.”
In related news, UK trade union Bectu has launched its largest survey of behind-the-scenes creative industry workers, with contributions open until March 12, 2025.

Philippa Childs
The union is asking workers across the UK’s creative industries about their experiences and views on key issues facing the sector, including pay, employment practices, mental health and wellbeing and finances.
The union wants to hear from workers in non-performing roles across the creative sectors, from theatre to film, fashion to gaming. Anyone in a non-performing role across the creative industries, as well as supporting/background artists, can take the survey. They do not need to be a Bectu member to participate.
Head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, said: “Creative industry workers are critical to our economy and to our social and cultural fabric.
“But data on creative workers is lacking. The freelance nature of the creative industries means that freelancers often fall through data gaps on employment statistics, while without formal employment structures, their voices are often not heard.
“Bectu’s Big Survey aims to plug that data gap. This is the biggest survey we’ve ever carried out and the results will help inform how we support creative industry workers and how we work with both government and industry to push for change.
“We want to hear from as many behind-the-scenes creative industry workers as possible. If you work in the UK’s creative industries in a non-performing role, please have your say to help improve the creative industries for everyone who works in them.”