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North East Screen is offering five supported places for established production companies based in the North East and Tees Valley to attend IndieLab Growth Lab London on 17th November 2026 at the Barbican.

Growth Lab is a full-day content market for TV, podcast and digital, bringing together industry leaders, commissioners and production companies for talks, masterclasses, meetings and networking.

North East Screen will support five companies to attend. Each successful company will receive:

• One GrowthLab ticket, purchased directly by North East Screen
• A bursary towards travel and accommodation costs

This opportunity is aimed at established, active production companies that would benefit from attending Growth Lab this year as part of their current business development and growth.

A maximum of one supported place is available per company.

Secure your spot – apply by 23:59 on Wednesday 14th October: Expression of Interest IndieLab Growth Lab 17th November – Fill out form

More information about Growth Lab is available here: IndieLab GrowthLab London 2026

North East Screen and Hat Trick Productions are looking for an up-and-coming digital and short-form comedy producer to take part in a paid three-week shadowing opportunity in London.

We’re looking for a producer based in the North East or Tees Valley who lives and breathes scripted and unscripted comedy, has some production experience and is keen to develop their understanding of how producing digital and linear formats can work together to reach and serve comedy audiences.

The successful applicant will shadow the Hat Trick team across three weeks of activity, gaining experience and insight across the full production process for three weeks between 19^th October and 6^th November.

Applicants must be available for the full three-week placement in London.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about scripted and/or unscripted comedy
• Has some existing production experience
• Ideally has some experience of digital content or digital production
• Is interested in how digital and linear formats can work together
• Is keen to develop their skills and professional relationships
• Is based in the North East or Tees Valley

Experience of live events or live production would be useful but is not essential.

Support available

North East Screen will provide financial support to enable the successful producer to take part in the opportunity, including:

• A paid shadowing bursary
• Travel and accommodation costs for the three-week placement in London
• A daily catering allowance for the duration of the placement

How to apply

Complete the short Expression of Interest form, including details of your four most relevant production credits and a 300-word pitch telling us about your production experience, your interest in comedy and why this opportunity is right for you at this stage in your career.

You do not need to submit a CV at this stage. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted and asked to provide a current CV before taking part in a brief online interview with Hat Trick Productions.

Applications close at midnight on Sunday 4 October 2026.

Apply here.

Sea & Sky Pictures, Wander Films and North Star Films were all commissioned to produce films for the flagship BBC One programme after successfully pitching ideas to the show’s editorial team, bringing stories from the Tees Valley and wider North East to audiences across the UK.

Ahead of the pitching process, North East Screen hosted a briefing event in Newcastle in partnership with the BBC Daytime team, giving regional production companies the opportunity to hear directly from commissioners and gain insight into what The One Show was looking for from prospective suppliers.

The commissions saw Sea & Sky produce a film hosted by Charlotte Crosby exploring the growing popularity of pre-loved wedding dresses, Wander Films deliver a segment fronted by Sara Davies, and North Star Productions create a feature on the Turner Prize exhibition at MIMA.

For North Star Films, the commission marks the company’s first for The One Show. Sea & Sky Pictures and Wander Films had previously secured network broadcast commissions with support from North East Screen.

Since 2021, North East Screen has supported 36 commission pitch opportunities, helping production companies across the region build relationships with broadcasters, develop new skills and secure network experience.

Helen Munson, BBC Daytime Commissioner based in the North East, said:

The One Show VT initiative is a fantastic opportunity that has allowed three companies from the region to either win their first commission, or build on previous commissions, to deliver content for a flagship show on the BBC watched by millions of people.

The great news is that all three companies have delivered fantastic VTs, showcasing the region. The editorial and business skills learned and the contacts made across the BBC make this hands on, practical opportunity a real win for smaller companies.

For North Star Films founder Paula Hughes, the commission represented an opportunity not only for her business, but also to showcase one of the region’s leading cultural institutions to a national audience.

Paula Hughes, North Star Films, said:

This commission has been an extraordinary opportunity, not just for my company, but for MIMA and the region at large. Drawing an audience of two million to show the culture and arts scene in this region, and the hard work so many people are doing to improve people’s lives, is phenomenal.

I’ve been back in the North East for almost a year and a half now, and I’ve had access to more opportunities as a result of being in the region than in the whole of my twenty-year career in London.

Lou Tonner of Wander Films said:

Access to commissioning opportunities like this is hugely valuable for regional indies. It’s enabled us to build a direct relationship with the team, strengthen our broadcast slate and tell stories that genuinely mean something to us and to the North East, for a national BBC One audience.

For Wander, it’s another important step in growing our broadcast work and hopefully the beginning of a long-term relationship with The One Show.

Louise Brannon of Sea & Sky Pictures said:

We were thrilled to be given the opportunity to pitch for and ultimately produce three films for The One Show. The pitching process was incredibly rewarding, and having the commissioner and execs from The One Show visit the region and provide face-to-face guidance at the event in Newcastle was particularly encouraging.

“Having access to commissioning opportunities like this is hugely valuable for an independent company like Sea & Sky. It has allowed us to work closely with The One Show team, learn from the experience and build relationships across the industry.

Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, said:

It’s brilliant to see these fantastic local businesses showcasing the quality of our region’s creative talent on a national platform.

Our film and TV sector has huge potential to create high quality jobs, develop new skills and give talented local people the chance to build exciting careers right here in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.

This is yet another great example of how the support we’re putting into the industry, alongside partners including North East Screen and the BBC, is opening doors for local companies and helping us build a creative sector that can compete and succeed nationally.

THE POWERFUL AND MOVING FOUR-PART DRAMA ABOUT THE INFECTED BLOOD SCANDAL WRITTEN BY SCREENWRITER PETER MOFFAT, PRODUCED BY WORLD PRODUCTIONS AND DIRECTED BY JULIA FORD HAS COMMENCED FILMING

ITV drama, Bad Blood, tells the story of how more than 30,000 people were administered contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and the early 1990s, resulting in life-shattering chronic illnesses and more than 3,000 deaths. The negligence and subsequent cover-up represents what Andy Burnham calls “perhaps the greatest untold injustice in the history of our country”.

Bad Blood is written by BAFTA award-winning screenwriter Peter Moffat (Your Honor, Criminal Justice, Silk), who has worked closely with the victims and their families whose lives were torn apart by the scandal.

The cast includes Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Jack Taylor), Ben Chaplin (September 5, The Thin Red Line), Susan Lynch (A Thousand Blows, Happy Valley), Luke Treadaway (Embassy, A Street Cat Named Bob), Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul, The Debut), Precious Wura Alabi (Saviour, Boiling Point), Hannah McClean (Close To Home, Blue Lights), Joe Absolom (Code of Silence, Blade Runner 2049), Ron Cook (Des, I Fought The Law), Peter Sullivan (A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, Criminal Record) and Cal MacAninch (Downton Abbey, Ahsoka).

The powerful drama based on a true story is produced by World Productions (Anne, Until I Kill You, The Bombing of Pan Am 103, Malpractice, Line of Duty) led by multi-award-winning Executive Producer, Simon Heath, the CEO and Creative Director of World Productions, part of ITV Studios.

ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill has commissioned the series which will air on ITV and STV and be available for streaming on ITVX and STV Player.

The drama centres around four boys at Treloar’s, a unique boarding school for disabled children with an attached specialised NHS centre for haemophiliacs whose lives would otherwise have been defined by regular and gruelling trips to the hospital.

While at Treloar’s, the boys are given Factor VIII, a revolutionary treatment that promises them the possibility of an increased lifespan and greater freedoms. Unbeknown to them or their parents, the doctors whom the boys trust with their lives use them as guinea pigs in trials to test blood products, some of which are sourced from high-risk, paid donors in the United States, including prisoners.

When the medical establishment learns of the transmission of new diseases, Hepatitis C and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), they fail to act and people across the country are exposed. As the drama unfolds, the children at Treloar’s begin to show signs of the diseases.

Bad Blood will dramatise the institutional failures within Government and the medical establishment that led to this avoidable disaster and the cover-up that has tried to hide these failures. It will also show the decades-long fight by the survivors and their families for truth and justice.

Commented Polly Hill:

We hope this drama will allow our audience to fully understand the infected blood scandal that started decades ago. We want to thank the team because it is testament to the importance of this story that we have Peter Moffat’s scripts and Julia Ford directing and it is produced by World Productions. We all hope the drama can do justice to all those affected by this scandal and the victims’ long fight for justice.

Commented Peter Moffat:

It has been deeply humbling to hear the personal stories of the infected and affected, and a real privilege to be trusted with their accounts. This drama is an active testament to a decades-long fight for justice by so many victims of this appalling scandal. We hope it can make a difference by ensuring their voices are properly heard.

Commented Simon Heath:

Peter’s scripts brilliantly capture the full horror of the infected blood scandal with the inspirational quest of the victims and their families fighting for the truth to be heard. It’s an honour to be working with Peter, Julia, Joe, Abi and the rest of the team to bring this story to the screen.

The drama will be directed by Julia Ford (Believe Me, Unforgivable), who won Best Director at the RTS Awards for Until I Kill You in 2025, and produced by Abi Bach (The Hack, Black Earth Rising, The Honourable Woman), with Simon Heath, Joe Williams (Mr Bates vs the Post Office, The Hack), Annabel Jones (Toxic Town, Black Mirror), Julia Ford and Peter Moffat serving as executive producers.

The production is supported by the North East Production Fund delivered on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) by North East Screen, with funding from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) and Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA).

Bad Blood is produced in association with, and distributed internationally by, ITV Studios.

A win for Manchester is a win for the North.

We are proud that the North East made it to the short list and was taken seriously as a potential host for the festival.  We already work in close partnership with Manchester as part of Screen Alliance North – the groundbreaking partnership across the north screen agencies North East Screen, Screen Yorkshire and Film Office Liverpool.  Together we are making sure our crews and our talent have the best opportunities which is much stronger together

We remain ambitious to bring more here, and from the MOBO Awards to the Mercury Prize, the North East is proving itself as a place where talent is recognised and business gets done.

The North East is the UK’s best‑kept secret, our locations shine in countless productions including blockbuster hit 28 Years Later on the big screen and the brilliant Vera on the small screen.  But we have so much more to offer.  We look forward to working with Manchester and the TV Festival, as well as our other industry partners to champion North East working class voices and make a real difference.

Pact’s Content Without Borders conference is returning to the North East this September after a successful event for screen sector businesses in 2025. It will once again take place at the Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham. 

The event welcomes Global buyers, distributors and producers working in unscripted markets, including those looking for the next big format hit, studio-based shows and factual TV series for linear and digital first platforms.  

Delegates can look forward to hearing unscripted market insights, commissioner and producer priorities and challenges during panels and breakout sessions, as well as having opportunities to pitch 1-2-1 and getting to know each other over two days. 

Pact Director of International & Projects, Ross Lewis:

In September 2025, Pact, in partnership with headline sponsor North East Screen, delivered a record-breaking fifth edition of Content Without Borders in the North East of England, generating over £50 million in reported potential business – more than double the previous highest-performing edition. I’m delighted to say that building on the strong and established partnership with North East Screen, Pact will return to the region for the sixth edition of Content Without Borders, focusing on the unscripted sector.

Lisa Laws, Development Director at North East Screen: 

We are thrilled to host the sixth edition of Content Without Borders in our region – it builds on a strong and established partnership with pact across multiple initiatives.

The 2026 programme, which focuses on the unscripted sector, will introduce a new cohort of UK independent production companies, broadcasters and distributors to the North East and further strengthening the region’s position as a hub for international business and collaboration. This could not be better timed in terms of the rapid growth in our regions infrastructure and creative industry investments.

Content Without Borders 2026 is led and organised by Pact and has so far received confirmation of support from North East Screen, Geo Pura and Audio Network.

North East Screen with Screen Alliance partners have once again this year supported the North of England Cohort of the prestigious Women in Film and TV Four Nations Mentoring Scheme. Last year’s cohort successfully completed the programme with rave reviews saying it was transformational and an invaluable experience.

Designed for mid-career women working in film, television, and creative media, the scheme offers unparalleled opportunities to accelerate careers in an industry where women remain underrepresented in leadership roles.

We spoke to writer Sam Neale from the North East to find out about her experience of taking part this year.

What made you want to take part in the WFTV Mentoring Scheme?

What has your involvement been like so far?

How do you feel taking part in the programme will impact your career?

The film, starring Haley Bennett, Elyas M’Barek, Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall, Sally Phillips with Jennifer Saunders and Timothy Spall received the red carpet treatment as part of SXSW London’s opening night celebrations on 1st June.

Based on the novel by Virgina Woolf, the film is an un-romantic comedy about a passionate astronomer, Katherine Hilbery (played by Haley Bennet), who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage.

Fun and contemporary in tone, this refreshing film showcases an ensemble of humorous performances, set against the ravishing backdrop of London and Cambridge in 1910, advances in science and technology, the suffragette movement and crumbing Edwardian patriarchy.

The film also stars Jack Whitehall as Katharine’s constant confidant, Jennifer Saunders and Timothy Spall as her parents, Sally Phillips as Cousin Joan and Lily Allen as straight-talking, fearless, funny suffragette Mary.

Gayle Woodruffe, Operations Director at North East Screen said;

“This period piece is just one of the productions to be supported by the North East Production Fund. Our rich heritage is reflected in the locations used which double up for London including Beamish in County Durham, The Common Room and The Lit in Phil in the centre of Newcastle. We’re proud of our world class filming locations and it’s great to see such phenomenal talent working here led by North East Director Tina Gharavi alongside a number of local crew.”

The North East Production Fund has supported the North East by bringing more GVA: £65m over the past 3 years.

This production is supported by the North East Production Fund delivered on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) by North East Screen.