Statistics chief complains to BBC over impersonation of staff in hit drama Industry

Fri, 20 Feb 2026

ONS tells broadcaster that depiction risks undermining interviewers’ ‘delicate relationship’ with the public

Best known for its depiction of City traders as drug-addled, sex-crazed adrenaline junkies, the BBC hit series Industry has unexpectedly attracted criticism for its portrayal of doorstep data collectors.

The head of the Office for National Statistics has written to the BBC criticising a recent episode in which characters falsely impersonate ONS employees on someone’s doorstep.