Frequently Asked Questions (English)

The British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT) commissions television and web-based programmes which are presented in British Sign Language. BSLBT was set up in 2008, with Ofcom's approval, to offer an alternative way for commercial broadcasters to meet their regulatory requirements to provide sign language on their qualifying channels.

BSLBT commissions production companies to make TV broadcast programmes which must follow the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.  This is set out in terms of principles and rules to maintain programme standards.

Reaching every BSL user with more BSL programmes that they love to watch.

We receive funds from the broadcasters of qualifying television channels  which have subscribed to BSLBT as an alternative way to meet their regulatory requirements to provide sign-presented programmes.

BSLBT is the TV industry’s unique distributor aiming to increase the availability of television programmes and short films in BSL.  BSL Zone is the platform that people can use to watch our programmes (like BBC iPlayer or ITVX, for example).

We are committed to fostering equality, diversity and inclusion, both on and off screen.  We embrace the richness of perspectives, backgrounds and talent within the deaf and sign language community.  Our mission is to create an inclusive and welcoming environment where everyone, regardless of race, religion/beliefs, gender, gender reassignment, age, sexual orientation or disability, feels valued and empowered to contribute to our work.  Through open dialogue, ongoing education and proactive initiatives, we strive to reflect the diversity of our audience and promote a culture that celebrates uniqueness and promotes equal opportunities for all.

We are a medium sized organisation with a team of staff, and a Board of Trustees that oversees them. 

Our Board of Trustees is currently full.  However, whenever a Trustee’s term of office comes to an end, we advertise to fill the vacancy, so you can apply then if you meet the criteria.

BSLBT is a Deaf-led organisation; our CEO and Chair are Deaf.  When BSLBT was set up by key stakeholders in 2008, the charity’s constitution stated that half of the Trustees should be from the Deaf community, and the other half should be from the broadcasting industry, to share skills and knowledge.  By nature, those working in the broadcasting industry have historically been hearing; we hope to see more deaf people crossing over to work in this area.

Our programmes are shown on TV every Monday (at 8am on Film4, then at 7pm and 10pm on Together TV).  They are available to stream, free of charge, at any time on the BSL Zone website and app.  Many of our programmes are also available on Sky VoD and NOW, and they are often showcased at film festivals around the world.
 

Basically, apps for smartphones are a lot more straightforward than those for televisions!  Developing an app for televisions would be too complicated and costly, because too many different versions would be needed, so it is not something we can do at the moment. 

Please get in touch with us at any time via our Contact page to let us know what you think.  Your views are very important to us. You can send your feedback either in written English or in BSL. 
 

We always welcome feedback on what our viewers would like to see more of.  Just get in touch with us via our Contact page.

We have enough money for about 30 new programmes for BSL Zone every year, so when we don’t have a new programme to show on TV, we show an older one.  Some people might have missed them the first time around, and some people enjoy watching them again!

We commission different production companies to make our programmes.  At least once a year, we publish a commissioning round and invite people and companies to submit ideas for programmes.

We have excellent relationships with several production companies that are deaf run or employ BSL users, or both.  We also work with other production companies that specialise in certain genres, as long as deaf directors and/or producers are involved in the production.  That said, we are always looking to work with new production companies, so if you are interested in working with us, please do get in touch.

We have programmes for people of all ages. They are split into two main categories: Drama (including comedies) and Factual (including interviews, entertainment, documentaries and sport).  We even have our very own game show!

Depending on the amount of funding we have, we are able to commission about 30 new programmes for BSL Zone every year.  We’d love to commission more!

Not at the moment.

No, See Hear is made by BBC Studios for the BBC.

No; our programmes are made in BSL, not interpreted to BSL.

We work hard to give as many deaf people opportunities as possible; all of our productions include deaf people, both in front of and behind the camera, and we work closely with production companies to ensure that the deaf talent behind the camera are being developed.  Our short films are a great example of our training; we have also trained scriptwriters and run different schemes to foster talented individuals, such as Zoom and our latest initiative, Step Up.

Recently, we have developed a new role – Talent Manager – to build a bridge between the off-screen talent (directors, producers, camera operators, production managers, etc.) and production companies working for BSLBT or elsewhere, who are looking for deaf crew members.

If you can act, you can audition for a role!  Follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with casting calls from the production companies that we work with.

Experience is everything. Why don’t you get in touch with the production companies that we work with to see if there are any vacancies, or opportunities to shadow a film crew at work? The more experience you have on set or within a production, the better. 

Broadcasters and other TV industry organisations such as BBC, C4 and Screenskills have talent teams that run training schemes and hold networking events where you can meet people to make connections. Make sure you’re following them on social media to find out about upcoming opportunities (click here to find a good round up), and remember to request a sign language interpreter if you require one! 

The Screenskills website is also full of useful information about working in TV and film, as well as VFX, animation and games. If you have any further questions, please do contact our Commissioning team, as they’ll be happy to chat with you!
 

If you have an idea that you would like to discuss with us, please do contact our Commissioners, who would be happy to fix a time to discuss the idea with you. Please remember, though, that we are not obliged to commission any ideas that have been discussed, and it might be that BSLBT may already be exploring programme proposals and/or ideas which are similar to your proposal, and that, in some cases, similar or identical ideas may be generated independently. At least once a year, we publish a commissioning round and invite people and companies to submit ideas for programmes.  Follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date!

We would love to be able to offer work experience, but our staff often work from home. Also, there isn’t quite enough room in our shared office!  If you are over 18 and would like to gain practical experience on set, you might like to apply to be a runner on one of our productions.  Follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with requests from the production companies that we work with.

Check out our Recruitment page to see what’s happening, and follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date.

No, although lots of BSL learners tell us that watching our programmes really helps them to develop their BSL skills alongside lessons!  If you find it all a bit overwhelming, our Can’t Sign? page is a good place to start. There are BSL courses all over the UK, and the Signature website might be a good place to start if you’re looking for one near you.