I think the fact that people are phased out, people like
Moira Stuart and Selina (
Selina Scott) - out of the
public eye - when they become a certain age is a real disadvantage to
serious broadcasting. There's a whole segment of the British population
that does not see its equivalent in serious broadcasting and that is
women over 55. Now, that is not healthy for a broadcasting
organisation's relationship with its audience. The public should be
represented on the screen in various colours, forms, sexualities,
whatever. There's no reason why the women should depart while the men
stay in office. That's a straightforward matter of
legitimate equality. Older women tell me they feel invisible and they
literally are invisible on television. We need to do something about
that because television represents such a picture of who we are as a
community.
