FEATURE
Success – filming will soon begin on series two of smash hit comedy Smoggie Queens. Pic: BBC and Hat Trick Productions.
High jinks – Jordan Gray’ s Transaction centres around the adventures of a transgender female working the night shift in a supermarket. Pic: ITV and Big Talk Studios.
“ We also have really experienced regionally based crews who can work on projects from the start of production through to the edit.
“ The success of Smoggie Queens, an LGBTQIA + community comedy set in Middlesbrough and the wider Tees Valley, which is going down a storm with global audiences, is testament to that.
“ It features up-and-coming North-East talent like Elijah Young, who plays Stewart, and with series two about to start filming, it’ s good to know that the BBC and other broadcasters have confidence in what we can be produced here.”
Smoggie Queens has achieved global acclaim, received three BAFTA nominations and picked up a Broadcast Digital Award. Even the Tees Valley connotations and sensibilities are“ landing super-well with audiences”.
The comedy was born out of the North East Comedy Hot House, a programme that was part of North East Screen.
This first-of-its kind comedy cooperative nurtured regional talent, both on and off screen, and was co-founded by comedy executive Emma Lawson and North East Screen chief executive Alison Gwynn, alongside Lisa Laws, North East Screen’ s development director.“ There has been a lot of relationship and talent nurturing alongside the BBC through this scheme for over five years, and we are really starting to see the fruition of this now,” says Lisa.
Meanwhile, ITV is also making use of the Tees Valley, using the Northern Studios for the comedy Transaction, by Jordan Gray, which centres around a transgender female working the night shift in a supermarket who“ gets up to lots of high jinks”.
The Northern Studios has also supported upcoming ITV drama I Fought the Law, which stars Sheridan Smith as Ann Ming, the mum who saw her daughter Julie Hogg’ s killer brought to justice, after she successfully
CGI – The Northern Studios’ expansion plans will see Lynn Street and Whitby Street transformed into Hartlepool Production Village. Pic: Hartlepool Borough Council and the Hartlepool Development Corporation.
challenged the“ double jeopardy” law. Jamie Childs’ first feature film Jackdaw was also shot in and around Hartlepool.
“ Jamie lives in Hartlepool and works on some really big shows, including Sandman, His Dark Materials and Doctor Who, after working in the region on Vera early in his career,” Gayle says.
“ He’ s a great advocate of the idea you can achieve things in the North-East. All these shows champion film and TV production in the region and the warm welcome you get when working here, which everyone comments on.”
Film and TV production is in a good place, with the government’ s Modern Industrial Strategy placing creative industries at the top of the tree, and the Tees Valley Investment Zones in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough given specific attention via the creative industries strategy.
“ Everyone is working together to really drive forward developments in TV and film in the region and changing the idea you have to move away from the region to go to Manchester or London to get work,” says Gayle.
Visit northeastscreen. org
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