Feature films and television shows will now find Yorkshire an even better place in which to film as it becomes the latest English county to sign Creative England’s innovative Film Friendly Charter.
The signing of the Charter at York Minster gives a clear sign to film and TV production companies that Yorkshire values the contribution their industries make to the local economy and wants them to do more work in the area.
Yorkshire is the eighth county to sign a Film Friendly Charter alongside Creative England, the national agency which supports film and television productions shooting outside London, and promotes the English regions as a fantastic place to film.
The new Film Friendly Partnership for Yorkshire comprises 19 separate councils from Richmondshire in the north to Sheffield in the south, taking in the East Riding, and Leeds and Bradford in the west; along with tourism organisations Welcome to Yorkshire, Visit Hull & East Yorkshire and Visit York, and Bradford City of Film. The charter was countersigned by Chris Hordley, Creative England’s Production Liaison Manager for Yorkshire.
By signing up to the charter, the relevant bodies in each county are setting out in writing an agreement about how they will support the film industry and encourage filmmakers to choose their area for location filming.
The signing comes as Yorkshire’s stunning locations were enjoyed by millions each week in Edwardian costume drama Parade’s End on BBC2, featuring Duncombe Park in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, as well as the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.
Room at the Top starring Maxine Peake begins today (September 26) on BBC Four. Shot in Leeds, Halifax and Bradford, the adaptation of John Braine's novel follows a young man on the make in 1940s Yorkshire.
Room at the Top Location Manager Mark Gladwin said: “Yorkshire has an excellent range of period locations so we were spoilt for choice with A Room at the Top. Support from local councils is vital to the smooth running of a film shoot. The signing of the Film Friendly Partnership is fantastic news. It puts Yorkshire firmly on the map as a centre for production. I look forward to filming in Yorkshire again soon.”
Chris Hordley, Creative England’s Production Liaison Manager for Yorkshire, added: “The signing of the charter sends out a confident message to the filming industry underlining Yorkshire’s business ready status. The Film Friendly Partnership is already up and running, which means the systems are in place to make the filming process smooth, easy and efficient for film and TV productions. Industry keeps coming back for more in Yorkshire and we are working hard to keep it that way.”
The county has previously attracted productions for both the big and small screens, including feature films The Woman In Black (Yorkshire Dales National Park), Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I (Malham Cove, Craven), Four Lions (Sheffield and South Yorkshire) and This Is England (Sheffield and South Yorkshire), as well as TV dramas Monroe (Leeds), The Syndicate (Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate) and Prisoners’ Wives (Sheffield, Doncaster and Bansley)
Two of the television dramas, Rollem Productions’ The Syndicate and Tiger Aspect’s Prisoners’ Wives, are set to return to Yorkshire to start shooting on their second series within the coming few weeks.
The film and television industries are important for the English regions as productions can spend up to £30,000 per day on every aspect of filming, including hotels, security and catering. Feature films alone contributed more than £1billion to the UK economy in 2011, a record figure.*
Creative England is proactive in encouraging this investment into the regions, and working with local authorities on Film Friendly Partnerships is just one way of doing that. The organisation has also recently launched a locations database to provide production companies with a comprehensive list of locations for filming and is encouraging property owners or managers interested in filming to register their property details.
A range of properties is sought, from stately homes, grand manor houses and mansions to large family homes, remote farm houses, and country cottages; from coastal properties, industrial mills and factories to sleek city centre offices, apartments and penthouses.