Mik Scarlet
Journalist and broadcaster
Mik Scarlet is journalist, musician and broadcaster with over 30 years’ experience. He was the first disabled actor in a UK soap on Brookside and has toured in a number of bands. When he broke into the broadcasting industry in the late 1980s, Mik was one of the first visibly disabled people on mainstream television. He was a lead reporter on the BBC’s flagship disability programme From the Edge for ten years, while the Emmy Award-winning BAFTA-nominated children’s show he presented, Beat That was shown around the world.
Mik has been voted one of the most trusted journalists working in the UK by the National Council for the Training of Journalists. He has been a reporter and presenter on numerous news programmes and panel shows and is a regular writer for The Huffington Post, The Independent, PosAbility magazine, Disability Now magazine, BBC Ouch and Unite magazine.
Mik has paved the way for new narratives around disability, and doesn’t shy away from difficult or taboo topics. In 2006 he was part of a BBC 2 documentary called Can Walk, Won’t Walk? which challenged the assumption that people who use wheelchairs can’t live happy lives. Mik is also an ‘agony uncle’ giving advice on relationships, sex and love for Enhance the UK’s Love Lounge.
As an expert in accessibility and inclusion, Mik follows the social model of disability. His current campaigns focus on PIP and benefits, inclusive design and accessible transport. Mik’s disability training programme has been attended by key figures from Uber, Network Rail and London Underground. He is currently working on campaigns with Inclusion London, Enhance the UK, Alliance for Inclusive Education, Transport for All and Scope.