In terms of glamor and escapism, it doesn't get bigger than the BAFTAs. On Sunday, the biggest names in British cinema will be partying here at the Royal Festival Hall. But further down the food chain for those working behind the scenes in UK production, there's little cause to celebrate as the knock-on effects of last year's US film, Strikes Continue, combined with a general TV commissioning slowdown because of the worst advertising downturn in 15 years. New research conducted exclusively for Sky News by the Broadcasting Union, Betu, paints a bleak picture of what that means for ordinary workers. I've never known a more dire situation. There is zero workaround, one person told us. Another said, unauthorized overtime is now the norm. I had a breakdown on my last job. The job before that, it was a common occurrence to see crew crying in the middle of the workshop. Charlotte Sewell, an assistant costume designer, knew it was unlikely that the industry would immediately bounce back after the US strikes ended last year. We all thought that what shooting would come up quickly, but new stuff we were concerned when we were talking about the strikes. And unfortunately, it's come true.

Last September, before the end of the strikes, 74% of those who responded to our survey said they were out of work. Fast forward to now, and not much has changed, with 68% saying that's still the case. Drill down into figures for the past three months and freelancers who are black or Asian are less likely to have worked than their white counterparts. Understandably, it's affecting people's mental health, with more than a quarter of those surveyed saying they were really struggling, some of whom responded to say they'd had breakdowns, some said they were suicidal as a result. For over 20 years, James Taylor has worked as a series producer on some of the biggest reality shows on TV. Until recently, unscripted projects, as they're known, were a reliable all-year-round source of employment. But now, 65% of people within reality TV are out of work.

Something that's less quantifiable is the commissioning slowdown here in the UK. You can't really put your finger on it because the broadcasters aren't releasing stats on that and saying, We are commissioning less programs. The economics within the industry are changing, and all freelancers want to know is some information.

Film and high-end TV production generates billions for the UK economy. It's a perfect storm. There are tens of thousands of people who work in this industry, and they're facing a crisis at because they just can't get work. Us strikes seemingly masking a much wider industry slowdown. Katie Spencer, Sky News.