Introducing our new series: It's time to 'Kick Some Class'

The idea that British people are obsessed with class is a bit of an old cliché. When there's a cost of living crisis affecting us all, does it really matter how posh somebody is?

Well, when it comes to the arts, it matters. And it matters a lot. Think of your favourite British actors right now, then Google their names, click on Wikipedia, and find the section about their early life and education. The same schools and institutions will pop up over and over again. If their parents' names are written in blue, click on through to see why.

Let's do a statistic. Get ready for this. In May 2024, Channel 4 News revealed that just over eight per cent of those working in film, TV, and radio in the UK came from a working class background. That's a tiny and shocking number. Commenting on the study, the Equity Class Network – representing the UK’s biggest acting union – put it plainly and with stark power. They said: “We cannot allow a situation where the creative arts are dominated by the privileged and wealthy. We are witnessing a lost generation of working class voices and talent.”

Just this month, another study showed how bleak the picture is at a grassroots level. According to research by Netflix and National Youth Theatre, 89% of working-class parents would advise their children not to pursue a career in the film and TV industry. The topic of social class has also loomed in the wake of Sherwood screenwriter James Graham making the idea of class the focus of his MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August.

The entertainment business is making great steps forward in diversity and representation, but class needs to be included in that. Everyone's stories deserve to be told, and they should be told by people who've really lived them – or at least something close. Nobody needs to see another Eton boy in council estate cosplay. There’s so much talent and creativity in people who have their own lived experiences to draw upon, so why should they not get the chance to shine?

But the answer isn't doom and gloom. The answer is to shine a greater spotlight on those who are helping to change the creative outlook for working class communities, and that’s the ethos behind our new series: Kick Some Class.

Quote from Claudia Jessie on working class actors

Quote from Robert Muchamore on books for working class readers

What is Kick Some Class?

We will be introducing two interview strands. First, we’ll speak to working class creatives who have smashed the “class ceiling” in order to succeed in fields including film, literature, music, and stand-up comedy. We’ve spoken to YA author Robert Muchamore about his gritty spin on teen spies and Bridgerton actor Claudia Jessie, who has made her name by finding her posh side. Stand-up comedian Alexandra Haddow has also joined us to chat about the difficulties of getting the cash together for a run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Secondly, we will interview organisations and groups that have taken the opportunity to “hold the ladder” down for the next generation of working class people, providing chances to people outside of the plum-voiced elite who usually dominate the arts. That’s the true meaning of a working class hero. We’ve chatted to the West End Comedy Club about their bursary for working class funny folk, spoken to Hannan Majid about how the Rainbow Collective Animation Club helps London kids, and paid a visit to the Midlands Arts Centre to find out how they’re making culture accessible to everybody.

It’s really important to note, though, that ideas of class are shifting. It's hard to talk about working class opportunities any more when those words mean different things to different generations. Is it about your job? Your parents' jobs? Whether you went to university? Whether you own property? What your voice sounds like?

This is a knotty topic, but one we need to understand in order to really understand our country. That's what we're trying to do with Kick Some Class. If Britain is obsessed with class like TikTok is obsessed with Taylor Swift, we need to look beneath the surface and ponder what it all means. As Taylor would say, there's a blank space... so let's write its name.

Get involved with Kick Some Class

Write a blog for Voice (account required) based on the title “what class means to me”. Whatever your background, we want to know how class impacts the way you see the world. Add the tag "Kick Some Class".
Write a review (account required) of a work of art that you feel has something to say about class representation, whether that's a film, a TV show, a theatre performance, an exhibition, etc. Add the tag "Kick Some Class".
Take part in our Voice Class Survey to help us find out more about class and the arts.