Hartlepool Council leader welcomes BBC investment

The investment – the biggest the BBC has made in our region for decades – is part of a deal with local authorities in the North East, who will work with the BBC, and with independent producers, to invest in talent, skills, and infrastructure to support the production industry in our region.

They will also provide funding via Northern Film + Media, the North East’s regional screen development agency, to boost the creative sector in the region.

The partnership is part of the BBC’s commitment to do more across the UK by moving departments, commissioning power, and resources out of London.

The BBC will work closely with the authorities and Northern Film + Media to find opportunities to grow its relationship with facilities in the region like the Northern Film and TV Studios in Hartlepool. 

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Hartlepool has helped inspire screen legends like Ridley and Tony Scott in the past and our beautiful Borough is still a popular filming location.

“The Northern Film and TV Studios based here in Hartlepool will be the only large-scale commercial studios in the North East and we have a huge opportunity to grow this sector in the future.

“Today’s announcement by the BBC will help us work together across Hartlepool, the Tees Valley and the wider North East region to develop skills locally and raise aspirations of those in the industry.”

Councillor Shane Moore

This is the latest in a series of external partnerships the BBC has launched across the UK to help stimulate growth in the creative economy.

Councillor Moore added: “This is a really exciting day for Hartlepool where we have a clear ambition – alongside our friends at the Northern School of Art – to create a major centre for the creative industries.

“Seeing more BBC content coming from the North East is a great thing and certainly welcome news for our talented writers, actors and technicians.”