Yorkshire and the Humber fastest growing region for film & TV, according to new research

The growth of Yorkshire and the Humber’s film and TV industries is the fastest in the UK, according to new figures released by Screen Yorkshire.

The figures show that between 2009-2015, the region’s film and TV Industries generated an annual turnover of £424m across 590 creative businesses, which is an increase of 247% against the UK average of 118%.

The Gross Value Added (GVA) also increased by 242% in comparison to a UK average growth of 120 %.

The Screen Yorkshire’s Yorkshire Content Fund (YCF), which has been backed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), has played a significant role in achieving this growth.

The YCF has secured over £157m of new business to the region through its investment activities.

These investments include independent films such as Dad’s Army, Swallows & Amazons and Testament of Youth; TV dramas like National Treasure and Peaky Blinders and some of the region’s own production companies; from producers like Warp and Inflammable Films to factual producers including VeryMuchSo and Daisybeck Studios.

The figures are based on data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and have been taken from research commissioned by Screen Yorkshire as part of a new five year Growth Plan for the screen industries in the region.

The plan has been developed by the Yorkshire Screen Hub, a consortium led by Screen Yorkshire in partnership with Game Republic and Sheffield Doc/Fest.

It is supported by the BFI and fourteen local partners, including eight local authorities and six universities. The Yorkshire Screen Hub is the first and to date, only hub to be supported by the BFI’s Creative Cluster Challenge Fund, which aims to support growth in the screen sectors outside of London.

Sally Joynson, chief executive at Screen Yorkshire, said: ’‘With the UK’s creative economy booming, this new research is highly significant for Yorkshire and these figures clearly demonstrate that the region is punching above its weight when it comes to producing world class film & TV.

“Furthermore, this growth has been achieved against a backdrop of increasing consolidation and hugely disproportionate investment on a national and local level into creative industries on the west side of England and the UK.’’

’‘We can now demonstrate how much more we can achieve for the region, the wider north and the UK economy as a whole if we can attract the right level of support and investment into the sector in Yorkshire. Our aim is to ensure that Yorkshire and the Humber is central to this increasingly vital sector for the national economy.’’

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