14 October 2020
Following the success of W's UKTV Original series The Shift: Women on the Force, UKTV has recommissioned Women on the Force (10x60').
The gripping documentary series offers a rare glimpse into North Yorkshire Police and the extraordinary reality the women on the force face in their working lives and how that balances with their everyday lives out of uniform.
This series will focus on the lives of the women of North Yorkshire Police and follow the exceptional work at every level of the force, from PCs on the frontline to PCSOs and CSIs to control room staff and the Chief Constable. The force is headed up by the charismatic Chief Constable Lisa Winward who oversees a team of 1,505 police officers, 99 special constables, 237 PCSOs and 1,049 police staff who together cover an area of 3,208 square miles.
Chief Constable Lisa Winward said:
It's vital that the stereotypes of policing in times past become a dim and distant memory. Policing requires many skills that can only be brought to the service by an inclusive and diverse workforce. We're proud to have a high proportion of women in senior roles at North Yorkshire Police, but there is more to be done to encourage the next generation of women into policing and ensure we are truly representative of the people we serve.
Co-produced by Lambent Productions and Harbar 8, Women on the Force has been commissioned by senior commissioning editor Helen Nightingale and ordered for W by channel director Adam Collings. Richard Watsham is the director of commissioning and Steve North is UKTV's genre general manager. Executive producers include Ollie Tait for Lambent Productions and Dan Clark-Neal for Harbar 8.
Helen Nightingale said:
The first series focussed on the day in the life of a shift now we're broadening that out as there are so many great stories to be told. I am so grateful to the police officers and staff who let us shine a light on their incredible work and how they carefully balance their home lives with the demands of being in the force. The teams at Lambent and Harbar 8 have created a real gem of a series and I am so excited to be able to spotlight the women of North Yorkshire Police.
Adam Collings added:
The first series was such a treat for us on W so I am pleased we are getting to bring it back and this time welcome North Yorkshire Police to our screens. Women on the Force perfectly compliments our long running hit Inside the Ambulance so I am looking forward to building the series and highlighting the fantastic work of women in the police force."
Ollie Tait said:
Series one was a joy to make - we were not only invited to capture the work of women on the force, but invited into their homes to meet the real people behind the uniform. We loved that it resonated so strongly with W viewers and we're delighted to be returning for a second series.
Dan Clark-Neal added:
It's a real privilege to be making this series within North Yorkshire Police and I'm delighted that the women have again trusted us to take the W viewer into their homes so that they can see behind the uniform and get to know them as a wife, partner, mother, daughter or sister too - something which made series one so special.
W has enjoyed incredible success with UKTV Original factual series including Inside the Ambulance, with its eleventh series due to air in November.
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Notes for Editors: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/905169/police-workforce-mar20-hosb2020.pdf
There were 40,319 female police officers in the 43 police forces on 31 March 2020, making up 31% of police officers in England and Wales. The number of female officers increased by 2,886 (8%) compared with a year earlier, and the proportion of female police officers also increased slightly (up 1 percentage point from 30%).
The proportion of female police officers in the 43 forces has increased in every year over the past decade (Figure 6.7) from 36,988 to 40,319 between March 2010 and March 2020. As at 31 March 2020, females made up 62% of police staff in the 43 forces in England and Wales. The split was most even for Police Support Volunteers and designated officers, both 51% female. The proportion of females in the Special Constabulary was similar to that for police officers, with around 3 in 10 special constables being female (29%).
For more information, please contact:
Gem Pinkney, Publicity Manager, UKTV
Ali Laurie, Network Comms Executive
About W
Sky 109/809, Virgin 125/191, BT 311/383, TalkTalk 311/ On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk
W is UKTV's premium entertainment channel, offering audiences a dazzling mix of UKTV Original series with some of the UK's most-loved talent in front and behind the camera.
Part of the W family, Emma Willis trains as a maternity care assistant in Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, while Emily Atack asks herself some big questions in Emily Atack: Adulting and Stacey Dooley spends some time with extraordinary families in Stacey Dooley: Sleeps Over. For its first foray into scripted original series, W welcomed Lorna Martin's Women on the Verge and celebrity PR drama Flack, starring Academy award winner Anna Paquin.
W will also delve into the world of babies and weddings with My Famous Babysitter and The Wedding Fixer, while channel favourite Inside The Ambulance continues to shine a light on paramedics across the UK. Inside the Operating Theatre takes that relationship further, getting to the heart of the surgeons saving lives inside the hospital. Debut series Ski A&E will look at the heroic actions of emergency ski services. And finally, W's hit acquisitions MasterChef Australia, MasterChef USA and MasterChef USA Juniors round out the offering.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
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About Lambent
For 20 years, Lambent has maintained a reputation as one of the most distinctive regional production companies in UK television. MD Ollie Tait came from ITV Studios with a background in a highly popular factual series, from Cops with Cameras to the BAFTA-nominated The Great War. Recent projects for Lambent include Emmerdale 1918, Family Rehab: 6 Months to Keep My Kids, and the BAFTA-nominated Raped: My Story.
About Harbar 8
Harbar 8 is a regional production company run by former Metropolitan Police Detective, Dan Clark-Neal. Having spent over a decade on the force Dan developed and reported on a number of short news films for the BBC and ITV before establishing Harbar 8. As well as co-producing Women on the Force for W, Harbar 8 produces Step Back In Time for the BBC.