Over-50s
Figure 1: Off-screen roles
Figure 2: On-screen roles
Figure 3: Genre off and on-screen roles
Figure 4: Genre off-screen
Figure 5: Genre on-screen
Figure 6: Senior and non-senior roles off-screen
Figure 7: Senior roles off-screen
Figure 8: Production roles off-screen
Figure 9: Scripted and non-scripted roles on-screen
Figure 10: Scripted roles on-screen
Figure 11: Non-scripted roles on-screen
Figure 12: Broadcasters off-screen
Figure 13: Broadcasters on-screen
Headlines
Since 2021 representation by over-50s has been increasing both on and off-screen. Representation remains higher on-screen (33%), which is low compared to national population estimates (47% Annual Population Survey). Off-screen, over-50s now make 28% of contributions, almost on a par with national workforce estimates (29.1% Labour Force Survey).
Genres
Comedy has the highest proportion of contributions by over-50s, with around half of all cast and crew contributions coming from this age group (Figure 3).
Off-screen, over-50s are represented at the lowest levels in Current Affairs (16%) and Factual programmes (22%) (Figure 3). On-screen, over-50s have least representation on Children’s programmes (13%) (Figure 5).
Off-screen
Over-50s continue to be best represented in the senior roles of Head of Production (68%) and Executive Producer (56%) but remain under-represented in other senior roles, such as Producer Director (16%) and Producer (21%) (Figure 7).
Elsewhere across production, over-50s dominate Costume and Wardrobe roles (69%) but are under-represented in Visual Effects (25%) and Set Design (22%) roles (Figure 8).
On-screen
Over-50s are much more highly represented on non-scripted (36%) shows than scripted (21%) ones (Figure 9), but representation is higher in Contributor (37%) roles than in Presenter (27%) roles (Figure 11). On scripted shows, over-50s make far fewer contributions as Lead Actor (13%) than in Supporting Actor (23%) or Background Actor (32%) roles (Figure 10).
Genres
The age profile across genres is variable. Comedy has the highest proportion of over-50s, with around half of all cast and crew contributions coming from this age group.
Both on and off-screen, over-50 representation in Comedy has increased considerably since 2019.
The proportion of off-screen contributions being made by over-50s in Drama programmes also remains relatively high compared to other genres, and at 39% is higher than national workforce estimates (29.1%)
In other genres, over-50s are under-represented off-screen, especially in Current Affairs where only 16% of off-screen contributions are made by people over 50.
Compared to national population estimates, over-50s remain under-represented on-screen on all programme genres except Comedy (50%) and Lifestyle (47%). Representation is particularly low on Children’s programmes (13%) and relatively low on Drama programmes (24%).
Roles
Off-screen roles
Overall, people over 50 continue to be better represented in senior (41%) rather than in non-senior (23%) roles. The gap in representation has widened since 2023.
However, while over-50s dominate the roles of Head of Production (68%) and Executive Producer (56%), people over 50 are very under-represented in Producer Director (16%) and Producer (21%) roles.
In other production roles, over-50s are making most contributions in Costume and Wardrobe (69%) jobs. They are also highly represented in Set Crafts (48%), Commissioning (46%), and Hair and Make-Up (44%).
However, people over 50 are making fewer contributions in Set Design (22%) as well as Visual Effects and other general Production roles (both around 25% contributions). Over-50s are under-represented in these roles compared to workforce estimates (29.1%).
On-screen roles
Although over-50s make up almost half of the national population (47%), on-screen they make only around one third of non-scripted contributions and around one fifth of scripted appearances.
Furthermore, over-50s are far less likely to be appearing as Lead Actor (13%) but more likely to be appearing as a Supporting Actor (23%) or in a Background role (32%).
People over 50 are more likely to be making an appearance in a Main Contributor or Contributor role (both 37%) than in a Presenter role (27%). The proportion of contributions made by over-50s in a Presenter role has increased considerably over the past five years – from 13% in 2020 to 27% in 2025.
Broadcasters
Representation by over-50s off-screen has been increasing on all programmes except those made by Sky. In 2025, the proportion of contributions being made by over-50s was highest for UKTV programmes (36%) and ITV (33%), and lowest for Channel 4 programmes (21%).
On-screen, a similar pattern of growth is evident at most broadcasters. However, the proportion of contributions being made by over-50s on Sky’s programmes has been decreasing – from a high of 38% in 2019 to the second lowest of all broadcasters (29%) in 2025. Between 2023 and 2025, ITV saw substantial increases in the proportion of contributions being made by over-50s both on and off-screen.