Beth Johnson is Professor of Television and Media Studies at the University of Leeds, based in the School of Media and Communication. Her research explores the intersections of social class, gender, race, and place in the television industry, with a particular focus on how these shape representation, production practices, and public trust.

She is Principal Investigator of the AHRC-funded project What’s On? Rethinking Class in the Television Industry (2023–2026), delivered in collaboration with the BBC, Channel 4, and Candour Productions. The project examines how questions of who produces television, what is made, and how class is represented are interconnected across contemporary UK drama.

Working alongside the Film & TV Charity, she has co-authored (with Anna Theodoulides) a major policy briefing, From Evidence to Action: Class Inequality, Workforce Sustainability and Workforce Wellbeing in UK Television, due for publication in May 2026.

Beth is a member of the DCMS College of Experts and Vice Chair of RTS Yorkshire.