So Television job ad slammed

BECTU has condemned So Television for advertising jobs that break the minimum wage law by paying extras nothing for their work.

Cashing in on the celebrity of fame, Graham Norton's television company advertised jobs for "uncredited and unpaid extras" for a 13-series CBBC show called Sketchy. Applicants were told in an email that: "The position is unpaid so we cannot use Equity actors for this, but would like to give new talent an opportunity to work with a large independent production company".

Sketchy has agreed to withdraw the advert from internet site StarNow following pressure from BECTU.

Spencer MacDonald, BECTU's National Official for the Film Artistes Association branch that represents background artists, said: “We are pleased they are withdrawing the advert. A reputable company like So Television should know better. We might expect this from some smaller production agencies but not companies that make annual profits of over £1million.”

BECTU urges its members to be vigilant and report to the union any adverts of this kind so that it can crack down on unpaid work, which has been the bugbear of the industry for years. Reports should be sent to: [email protected].