Rebuilding the film and television industry in the northeast of the country

From Ken Loach to Indiana Jones, documentary to daytime, the North East of England’s film and TV industry is experiencing a renaissance.

The area has provided the backdrop for many TV shows and Hollywood films in recent years, as new studios have sprung up with more planning.

Behind this façade, the plan is to nurture new generations of local talent and attract big-budget productions so local crews don’t have to leave the area to find work.

One of the key players in this venture is Goldfinch, a BAFTA and Oscar-winning independent film company founded by Geordie producer Kirsty Bell a decade ago.

“It was 100 percent our ambition to eventually come back here to help build and sustain an entire independent film industry here,” she said.

“I don’t want to go back to London to do this. I want to stay here.

“What we’re trying to create is a legacy of filmmaking in the Northeast to go along with everything that’s been done since Get Carter onward.”

Goldfinch has produced four films in the region in 12 months, the latest of which is Mother for an Hour starring Frances Barber and Laura Whitmore.

It was filmed in Newcastle, Hartlepool and surrounding areas in November and was the first time London-based producer Ben Charles Edwards had filmed in the area.

“For me as a director, I feel like it’s been somewhat untouched here,” he said.

“We have shows like Vera and so on, but from my experience as a filmmaker, I’ve never shot here in the last 10 years. It’s an exciting prospect. It’s something new.”

“Filmmaking is a very challenging adventure at the best of times, especially when you think, ‘Great, I’m going to go to a whole new part of the country and stay there,’” the producer adds.

“But I think the surprise for us was how easy it was. The relationships we’ve built with the local crew here are much better than I thought.

“We’ve now worked with the same crew on the last four films, so those relationships have strengthened, so to be honest, I’m not really sure why we didn’t think about doing it sooner, but I’m glad we did.”

This sentiment is indeed echoed by director Ken Loach, who has directed his last three films in the Northeast.

He chose Tyneside for I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You, then County Durham for swansong The Old Oak, which was released in September 2023.

While the locations, workforce and welcome in this part of the world are unparalleled, everyone agrees that what the industry really needs is the right infrastructure.

The only large-scale production facility currently in the area is The Northern Studios in Hartlepool, which officially opened in March 2023.

Ms Bell told the BBC that Goldfinch is close to signing a deal to set up its own studio in Northumberland.

“We have many investors who are very interested in the site and are our partners in it, and we hope to conclude business with them in the very near future,” she said.

“We’re very excited about it. This project has been a long time coming. It’s going to be great.”

But they need the government to support them or it may not happen, according to Leo Pearlman of the production company Fulwell 73, which has offices in Los Angeles, London and Sunderland.

“While we are committing £450 million to the infrastructure and construction of this project, we need government support as we build the skills and crew base in the region,” he said.

“We need this support to make this project a success.”

The BBC, which has teamed up with a coalition of local authorities, said it was committed to spending £25 million on commissioned content in the area over five years.

Gayle Woodruff, operations director at North East Screen, the region’s screen development agency, says the film and TV industry in the North East is now a completely different landscape.

“There has never been a better time to work in television than now,” she said.

“For anyone thinking about a career in film and television, and maybe thinking, no, not for me, not in the North East, that’s all changing.”