New research on workplace loneliness in film and TV: What it means for the ‘gig’ economy

Our latest blog is by Lucy Maxwell, Community Development Manager at The Film and TV Charity.
Their new research, in partnership with the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, reveals compelling evidence to suggest experiences of loneliness in the film and TV industry are inextricably linked to high rates of poor mental health.

In this blog they discuss the workplace factors that drive loneliness in the sector and how the research findings have troubling implications for the wider UK workforce.

Teamwork, shared creative vision, collaboration. These are key to success when working behind-the-scenes in film and TV. So, it can be hard to imagine how you could possibly feel lonely when working in these sorts of exciting work environments, especially when you often spend days, nights and weekends working closely with your colleagues.

But the Film and TV Charity’s Looking Glass research, conducted over five years, has consistently shown significantly higher levels of loneliness and poor mental health among behind-the-scenes workers, compared to the rest of the UK population. Our most recent survey data from 2024 shows that 35% of respondents reported their mental health as poor or very poor compared to a national average of 18%, with 30% often feeling lonely compared to a national average of only 8%.

As part of the Charity’s commitment to supporting the wellbeing of the film and TV workforce, we conducted new research in partnership with The Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University to try and understand why loneliness is so pervasive in this sector and how these experiences impact mental health.

The cost of poor working culture and conditions

This new research provides evidence for the first time that primarily work-related factors such as the industry’s ‘tough’ working culture and conditions create high levels of loneliness, and it’s these experiences that subsequently drive poor mental health.

These work factors include but are not limited to:

• A culture of long and irregular working hours
• The transient nature of project-based employment
• Industry issues of bullying, harassment, and discrimination
• Persistent stigma around loneliness and mental health at work which prevents people from speaking up and seeking support
• Workers from underrepresented and disempowered backgrounds feeling invisible (especially freelancers, those with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and those who are workless, neurodivergent, from the Black and Global Majority, Muslim, carers, LGBTQ, or from working class backgrounds)

As well as posing a huge personal cost, loneliness is also likely to be having a very significant economic impact on the industry. Combining 2024 figures from Deloitte and DCMS it seems likely that the cost to the film and TV industry of poor mental health among its workforce may be as much as £400m a year. The relationship between loneliness and poor mental health highlighted in our work suggests that loneliness may account for a significant part of that sum.

Implications for the wider workforce

Given the ​‘canary in the mine’ nature of the creative industries – often described as the original gig economy – these findings also have troubling implications for the wider workforce, which is increasingly freelance.

There is relatively little research in this field, despite the fact that we spend so much of our lives working, with many sectors now dependent on freelancers. Therefore, this new report makes a significant contribution to our understanding of workplace loneliness and the impacts it has on our health and happiness. We hope it will be of great relevance to policy makers across a range of sectors.

Biography

Lucy Maxwell is the Community Development Manager at The Film and TV Charity.
Working in the Research and Impact team, Lucy manages a programme of work that embeds social connection as a core wellbeing priority in the film and TV industry. This work involves leading on peer support and community building initiatives, as well as conducting research into the impacts of workplace loneliness.

The Film and TV Charity supports the lives of everyone working behind-the-scenes in the film, TV and cinema industries, offering a wide range of mental, physical and financial wellbeing support. 
The Charity is also working with a wide range of partners to bring about positive change to enable everyone in the industry to thrive.