Action! Plan to make Yorkshire 'powerhouse' of movie making and TV world by keeping talent here in The North
“Yorkshire has built an extraordinary screen success story over the past decade, but we can’t afford to stand still”
Yorkshire could become a powerhouse of the movie making and TV world - if more is done to keep its talent right here in The North.
Non-profit company Screen Yorkshire has this week set out a three-year plan to keep and create jobs in film production in God’s-own country.
By encouraging media companies to start-up and stay in the region, or bring their multi-million productions here from abroad, Yorkshire could establish itself as one of the UK and the world’s premiere filming locations - or so Screen Yorkshire hope.
It comes off the back of a string of hits shot in the region, such as HBO’s The Regime, BBC Thriller Reunion, TV favourite Doctor Who, Disney+’s The Full Monty TV reboot, and Netflix’s Bodies.
Now, Screen Yorkshire’s ‘Sector Growth Strategy 2026–29’ (published September 21) sets out what it calls an ambitious three-year plan to strengthen Yorkshire’s position as one of the UK’s leading centres for film, television and screen content.
Caroline Cooper Charles, CEO of Screen Yorkshire, said: “Yorkshire has built an extraordinary screen success story over the past decade, but we can’t afford to stand still. The industry is changing rapidly, and our ambition for the region must evolve with it.
“The next phase is about more than bringing productions to Yorkshire. We want to create the conditions for ideas to originate here, for businesses to grow here and for more of the intellectual property and long-term value created by our screen industries to stay here.
“This strategy is about building on everything Yorkshire already does brilliantly while making sure our screen sector is resilient, ambitious and ready for what comes next. By 2029, we want Yorkshire to be known not only as one of the best places in the UK to make content, but as a place where content is created, owned and grown.”
Screen Yorkshire last rolled out a growth plan between 2018 to 2022. It claims that while production turnover - the total amount of money a filming project makes - increased around eight per cent nationally in those four years, Yorkshire’s shot up by over 50 per cent.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “From blockbuster films to iconic soap operas, Yorkshire has earned its place on the world stage as a film and TV powerhouse.
“I’m proud to back this ambitious new strategy, which will help ensure that more of the jobs, investment, ideas and creative spark that’s created in Yorkshire stays in Yorkshire.
“By helping local businesses grow and giving more creatives the chance to build brilliant careers in our screen industries, we’re building a stronger, brighter region for the whole world to see.”
The new strategy argues that attracting production to Yorkshire is no longer enough.
In a world of increasing global competition and new technologies changing how projects are financed, Screen Yorkshire has broader ambitions - to ensure that filming talent in Yorkshire stays in Yorkshire.
By making Yorkshire not just an attractive place to film but a competitive place to grow a filming company, learn a trade and meet other creators it hopes the long-term benefits and money generated by the screen industries remains here.
A major focus of the plan will be moving Yorkshire beyond a ‘production service economy’ to a ‘creator economy’ - which is, broadly, the difference between companies coming to film in Yorkshire and homegrown companies putting Yorkshire on the map.
It hopes to support Yorkshire-based companies and talent to grow their ideas, develop content, retain intellectual property and build businesses capable of competing in nationally and internationally.
Screen Yorkshire will also continue to attract and support film and television production through its Film Office and the Yorkshire Content Fund. The Fund has invested more than £24.4 million in local film and television production which it says has led to more than £234 million in production spend - an investment-to-production-spend outcome of approximately 10:1.
Read the Screen Yorkshire Screen Sector Growth Strategy 2026–29 here: https://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/reports/growth-strategy.pdf