Tag: Production Fund

BBC One commissions Making It with Sara Davies (w/t) for all us eager would-be inventors

Posted on 20 November 20235 March 2024 by North East Screen

BBC One has today announced a brand-new commission: Making It with Sara Davies (w/t). Produced by Gateshead based Twenty Six 03, and backed by the North East Production Fund, delivered by North East Screen, this exciting new series will air on BBC One in 2024 and has been commissioned for 15×30 episodes.

Each programme will feature ordinary people who think they’ve come up with a brilliant or innovative idea for a new product, but just don’t know where to start to see if it could ever become a reality.

Enter Sara and her crack team of highly-skilled experts…they’ll meet all of the aspiring inventors to help develop their initial ideas with the aim of turning them into fully-functioning, and potentially even money-making products. Life changing stuff!

But will the ideas always work or are the aspiring inventors dreaming of the impossible? With her keen eye for innovation, and amazing concepts, Sara will be joined by her team in their specialist workshop, based in the North East of England, to see if these dreams can become a reality.

Sara, has been a successful business woman since the age of 21, when she spotted a gap in the craft market when she invented an envelope-making tool for card makers. With the help of her engineer dad, she tested and refined her product before she made a prototype and started to sell it. And since then, her life has changed, and her personal success has seen her become a major investor in some of the UK’s most successful businesses through her role on Dragons’ Den.

Sara says, “There are thousands of people across the UK who have brilliant and big ideas, but are stuck on how to get started, so I am delighted that I am going to be able to help these wonderfully innovative people develop and make their inventing dreams a reality. I can’t wait to see what ideas are out there and get them into our workshop of dreams!”

Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive at North East Screen comments, “We’re excited to be supporting Sara Davies next project, this is a great example of how our development and production fund supports North East production and on screen talent to develop and drive future content. The BBC have made a solid commitment to having commissioners based in the region and we can see that really making a difference.”

Gayle Woodruffe, Operations Director at North East Screen comments, “The North East Production Fund is really starting to have an impact, supporting regional based indies and talent reach new markets, attracting international films and ground-breaking TV series, which all bring investment and jobs to our region growing businesses, skills and talent.”

Helen Munson, Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime comments, “Where better to make a programme about inventing than the North East?! This is where Joseph Swann invented the lightbulb, and George Stephenson became the ‘Father of the Railways’. We are in good company! And with the brilliant Sara Davies at the helm we know we are going to unearth brand new inventions for the 21^st Century. Gateshead based Twenty Six 03 will be working with a host of local off screen talent to bring this exciting new series to BBC One.”

Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning comments, “The UK has always been an innovative nation, but could any one of us be the next to come up with a game-changing new invention? Viewers are in for a treat as the brilliant Sara Davies and her team of experts discover which of the clever, creative or crazy ideas so many of us have knocking around our heads could ever become a reality. I hope this will be a warmly inspirational addition to our schedule, and can’t wait to see what our budding inventors bring to the workshop.”

Duncan Gray and Antonia Hurford-Jones, Executive Producers for Twenty Six 03, comment, “We’re thrilled to get the chance to be making this series with the brilliant Sara Davies and our fantastic team here in Gateshead. Ingenuity in the UK is alive and well and we’re already getting in some amazing ideas.” Making It with Sara Davies (w/t) will be on screens in 2024, it was commissioned for BBC One and iPlayer by Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning Rob Unsworth, the Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime is Helen Munson. The programme is produced by Twenty Six 03’s Duncan Gray and Antonia Hurford-Jones with funding from North East Screen.

Jackdaw debuts with 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Posted on 6 October 20235 March 2024 by North East Screen

Jackdaw, the feature-length writing and directorial debut from North East filmmaker, Jamie Childs, which received support from the North East Production Fund, has debuted with 100% on the popular review site Rotten Tomatoes. following its worldwide premiere at Fantastic Fest.

Set in Hartlepool over the course of a single night, the crime drama follows a former motocross champion and army veteran (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) as he searches for his kidnapped brother.

The film stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Invisible Man, The Haunting of Hill House) as the title character, with other household names including Jenna Coleman – known for her work in Doctor Who, The Sandman and Victoria – This is England star Thomas Turgoose and Game of Thrones star Rory McCann.

It has seen a £300,000 investment from the North East Production Fund, delivered by regional screen agency North East Screen on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP), as part of their ambitious plans to make the region one of the UK’s leading film and TV production hubs.

Production of the film took place in the Tees Valley area and wrapped at the beginning of this year.

Since its debut at Fantastic Fest in Texas last month, the film has been receiving positive reviews with critics praising the cinematography and nuanced performance from the film’s cast.

The film was also the first feature to make use of the newly opened The Northern Studios in Hartlepool, currently the North East’s only large-scale film and TV studios.

Gayle Woodruffe, Operations Director for North East Screen, who manages the North East Production Fund, said: “Piloting JACKDAW through the North East Production Fund was an easy decision, it allowed us to not only support exceptional North East homegrown talent, but also showcase the North East in a different light for the big screen.

“We have world class talent, world class crew and world class locations here in the North East, and all of these are showcased in JACKDAW – a testament to the work we are doing to build on the growing screen industry in the region.”

To mark the film’s release in UK cinemas by Vertigo Releasing, a glittering star-studded premiere will take place in Tees Valley before a series of local screenings ahead of its release.

Watch the trailer for Jackdaw below

New multi-million pound production fund set to ignite North East screen industry

Posted on 15 September 20235 March 2024 by North East Screen

On Tuesday in the heart of London, North East Screen was in the spotlight as it launched its multi-million pound Production Fund to a room full of screen industries movers and shakers. The fund is set to transform the North East and attract more production companies and filmmakers to film in the region hot on the heels of much anticipated studio development plans.

North East talent and locations have starred on screens in recent years with major feature films such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves and 1917, as well as much loved TV drama Vera and children’s show The Dumping Ground, all choosing the North East to act as a backdrop.

Gayle Woodruffe, Operations Director at North East Screen said,

“We’ve got world class talent, exciting studio developments, an emerging infrastructure and now a Production Fund to supercharge the screen industry in the North East. We will attract more high-end TV productions, feature films and returning series to the region, providing more jobs and opportunities for regional and re-locating crew.”

Piloted in early 2023, the North East Production Fund has so far funded three very different productions: feature film JACKDAW from Tees Valley-born Director, Jamie Childs, and Anton Corp; unscripted children’s TV show, Cooking with the Gills, from Sunderland-based MCC Media, for Milkshake; and highly-anticipated drama, The Red King, from Quay Street Productions for UKTV.

Speaking of the support they have received from the Production Fund, Samantha McMillion, Chief Operating Officer at Quay Street Productions said,

“The support we have received from North East Screen through the Production Fund has been extraordinary. The team at North East Screen strive to work as a partner to production and have ensured that communication, and their approach, is collaborative throughout. Their team has been fantastic to work with and I would encourage other productions to seriously consider filming in the North East.

“Being able to provide jobs for local people, support trainees from the region and contribute to the continued growth of the industry in the North East is something we really value at Quay Street.”

Feature film JACKDAW is Tees Valley-born Jamie Childs’ directorial debut, shot in and around the area he grew up in. He said,

“I come from a northern colliery village and I’ve always wanted to make things here. The film shows off the North East in a very stylised and fictional way and allowed me and the great cast and crew to just have fun filming it.”

Delivered by regional screen agency, North East Screen, on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP), the discretionary fund looks to support scripted and unscripted film and TV productions from both indigenous companies and incoming productions with grants being made between £50,000 up to £500,000. All applications are judged by an independent panel of industry experts following a rigorous application process.

NESIP is the ambitious partnership of all 12 local and combined authorities across North East England investing in growing the screen industry, driving inward investment and creating local jobs. North East Screen is delivering this groundbreaking programme to grow a thriving screen ecosystem which includes a hands-on film office service and significant skills and talent support. In a tough economic environment the North East is both ready to invest in productions ready to shoot immediately, but also interested in having conversations about development opportunities which best showcase the talent and beauty of the region with even more funding opportunities on the horizon. Productions should complete an Expression of Interest at www.northeastscreen.org/project/production-fund.

Alison Gwynn, Jamie Childs, and David Parfitt

New original drama supported by the North East Production Fund begins filming in the North East

Posted on 19 June 202320 June 2023 by North East Screen

New original drama, The Red King, has recently begun filming in the North East, joining an array of productions using the North East as their filming base.

The six-part series, supported by the North East Production Fund, is written by Toby Whitehouse (Being Human, The Game) and produced by Quay Street Productions, has been commissioned by UKTV for leading crime drama channel, Alibi.

North East Screen Chief Executive, Alison Gwynn, was thrilled to hear that The Red King had started filming in the North East. She said,

“I am delighted to welcome Quay Street Productions to the North East to film their new original drama, The Red King. Having this production based in the region not only shows faith in the adaptability of our stunning locations, but also supports our highly-skilled crew who are based here, being able to work in the region and sleep in their own homes.”

Following the successful North East Production Fund pilots, children’s TV series Cooking With the Gills (MCC Media Ltd), and feature film, Jackdaw (Anton Corp); The Red King is the last North East Production Fund pilot which is managed and delivered by North East Screen on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership. The Production Fund is now open to expressions of interest and those interested parties should complete the form on our Production Fund page.

Open to both local and national companies, the fund aims to catalyse the sustainable growth of the North East’s film and TV production sector by investing in a portfolio of distinctive, high-quality project that will collectively contribute to the region, increasing the on-screen visibility and actively contribute to employment of locally based crew, spend in the region and improved equality, diversity and sustainability.

Speaking about the North East Production Fund being open, Alison Gwynn said,

“With the North East Production Fund now live, we will attract more high-end TV productions, feature films and returning series to the region. For every £1 we give out, we expect productions to spend at least £10 in the region driving inward investment and developing the region’s reputation as a destination for high level TV and film production.”

In the past year, North East Screen’s Film Office has supported 57 productions filming in the region, including The Old Oak, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Vera, The Dumping Ground, Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes, Danny and Mick, who have in turn spent over £12 million in the region. These join a growing list of feature film and tv productions who have filmed in the North East including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Amongst Thieves, Blue Jean, I, Daniel Blake, 1917, The Last Kingdom, Emmerdale and Inspector George Gently.

The North East Screen Film Office supports both indigenous and incoming productions to the region with a vast network of locations, crew, facilities, studios, and a wealth of local knowledge. With a filming friendly agreement in place with all 12 local authorities, they can support facilitating productions in gaining permissions, road closures, parking permits and securing locations. For more information head to www.northeastscreen.org/film-office