BBC, Sky, Prime Video Back Textured Hair Training
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- Dandi launched the "Textured Hair & Make-up for Deep Skin-Tones Accelerator," a hands-on training program building on its 2025 Hair & Make-Up Equity Guidelines.
- BBC, Sky, Channel 4, ITV, and Prime Video Pathway are backing the initiative alongside Screen Alliance North; Prime Video Pathway ran a pilot in Scotland in 2025.
- An Equity survey found 71% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic actors said hair and makeup departments were unable to meet their needs, undermining wellbeing, authenticity and production values.
- Two 2026 programs in the UK north and south will each recruit 10 participants, with masterclasses delivered in partnership with the Kevin Fortune Hair Styling Academy.
- Dandi CEO Fraser Ayre framed the program as a practical solution: "Where the guidelines set the standard, the Accelerator delivers the solution. Inclusive styling is essential, not optional."
- A 2024 Variety investigation found Black British actors arriving on set to find hair departments lacking skills for Afro-textured hair, with some artists doing their own hair hours early or sending tutorials to crews.
Why it matters: With 71% of minority-ethnic actors saying their on-set hair and makeup needs go unmet, the BBC-, Sky- and Prime Video-backed accelerator moves the industry beyond policy into hands-on training — but with just 20 seats split across two 2026 cohorts, the program's scalability will be tested against a problem that touches nearly every UK production casting Black talent.
