Three Years After a 'Midsomer Murders' Star Flagged It, Casting Directors Are Still Asking Actresses for Their Bust Size

Kirsty Dillon raised the alarm through industry channels in 2023. The practice hasn't stopped. That tells you something about how seriously the British screen industry takes its own warnings.

Written by Grant Hollis · Bureau Media · Jun 11, 2026

The Complaint That Changed Nothing

In 2023, Kirsty Dillon — a working British actress with 24 episodes of *Midsomer Murders* on her CV — did what you're supposed to do. She went through proper channels. She raised a formal concern that casting directors were asking actresses for their bust measurements as part of the casting process. Industry bodies took note. Warnings were issued.

Three years on, according to reporting by Deadline, it's still happening.

That gap — between a documented complaint, an institutional response, and zero measurable change — is the actual story here.

What Was Being Asked, and Why It Matters

Requesting bust sizes from actresses in a casting context isn't a neutral administrative act. It's the collection of intimate physical data that has no legitimate bearing on whether someone can perform a role. Costume fittings happen after casting. The request, at the audition or submission stage, serves a different function — and actresses know it.

Dillon's complaint named the practice clearly and pushed it into official view. The industry's response was to tell casting directors to stop. That's the extent of what self-regulation typically looks like in this space: a memo, a guideline, a strongly worded advisory.

The Enforcement Problem

British screen industry bodies can set standards. What they generally cannot do is enforce them with any teeth. There's no licensing regime for casting directors that can be revoked. There's no financial penalty attached to non-compliance with casting conduct guidelines. The result is a system where bad practice can be flagged, acknowledged, and then quietly resumed once the attention moves on.

This isn't unique to casting. It's a recurring feature of how entertainment industries handle conduct issues — a cycle of disclosure, guidance, and drift that repeats until someone raises the alarm again.

What Three Years of Inaction Signals

The fact that Dillon's 2023 complaint hasn't produced a measurable change by 2026 tells you something specific: the industry treated this as a reputational management problem rather than a structural one. The goal was to be seen responding, not to build a system that actually stops the behaviour.

For actresses navigating the casting process, that distinction is not academic. The requests are still arriving. The power imbalance that makes them hard to refuse hasn't shifted. And the person who raised the alarm publicly is now in the position of watching the problem she flagged continue unaddressed.

The British screen industry has a habit of congratulating itself on having the conversation. At some point, the conversation has to produce a different outcome.

Key takeaways

Kirsty Dillon, who played DC Gail Stephens in Midsomer Murders, went through official industry channels in 2023 to flag that casting directors were soliciting bust measurements from actresses.
Industry bodies responded with warnings to casting professionals to stop the practice.
As of mid-2026, the practice is reportedly still occurring, according to Deadline's reporting.
The persistence of the issue points to a structural enforcement gap: the British screen industry can issue guidance but appears to lack mechanisms that actually change behaviour.
The story has implications beyond casting — it reflects a broader pattern of self-regulatory frameworks in entertainment that generate process without producing outcomes.

FAQ

Who is Kirsty Dillon?

Kirsty Dillon is a British actress who appeared in 24 episodes of the long-running ITV drama Midsomer Murders, playing detective constable Gail Stephens. She raised concerns through industry channels in 2023 about casting directors requesting bust measurements from actresses.

Why would casting directors ask for bust sizes?

There is no legitimate casting reason to request bust measurements at the audition or submission stage — costume and wardrobe fittings occur after a role is cast. Critics of the practice argue the requests are inappropriate and constitute the collection of intimate physical data unrelated to professional ability.

What happened after Dillon raised the complaint in 2023?

Industry bodies issued warnings to casting professionals advising them to stop the practice. However, Deadline's 2026 reporting indicates the requests have continued, suggesting the warnings did not produce lasting behavioural change.

Is there a formal enforcement mechanism for casting conduct in the UK?

British screen industry bodies can issue guidance and standards, but there is no licensing regime for casting directors that can be revoked, and no financial penalties attached to non-compliance with conduct guidelines. Enforcement relies largely on reputational pressure.

Does this issue affect other areas of the entertainment industry?

The pattern — a conduct issue is raised, guidance is issued, behaviour continues — is common across entertainment. It reflects a broader structural problem with self-regulatory frameworks that prioritise visible response over durable accountability.

Citations

A 'Midsomer Murders' Actress Raised The Alarm About Casting Directors Asking For Bust Sizes. Three Years On, It's Still Happening.Kirsty Dillon, who starred as detective constable Gail Stephens in 24 episodes of Midsomer Murders, went through industry channels in 2023 to complain that she was receiving bra-size requests from casting directors; the practice is reportedly still occurring as of 2026.
Deadline Feed — Bureau Research SourceSource publication for the original exclusive reporting on Kirsty Dillon and the casting bust-size complaint.
Midsomer Murders — ITV SeriesMidsomer Murders is the long-running ITV drama in which Kirsty Dillon appeared across 24 episodes as DC Gail Stephens.