Main content

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North is five

Alice Webb

Director, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Children's & Education

Tagged with:

This week we’re marking the fifth anniversary of the opening of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North at MediaCityUK in Salford. 

It’s a bit of an unusual birthday. Because the site is so big, lots of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ staff arrived in various different stages. Some departments transferred very quickly, others took several months. But the summer of 2011 was the big milestone for the move. So we’ve settled for an “official birthday” date, a bit like the Queen.

The passing of every year is an opportunity to look back on what’s been achieved and to look forward and think about the future. Five years on, the depth and diversity of our work in the north is astonishing.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport, based at Quay House in MediaCityUK, has just delivered brilliant coverage of Wimbledon and Euro 2016 and is now gearing up for the summer’s next major sporting event the .

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 5 live has been on fine form throughout the last few weeks, providing outstanding coverage of the momentous news events and the big sporting moments. As the only network news station based outside London, 5 live offered a different perspective on the EU Referendum campaign and result. They have broadcast live from Middlesbrough, Wigan, Hartlepool and Leeds, giving listeners a sense of what the country is really feeling.

Lovely romantic comedy is back on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two. Set in Newcastle, it’s the first comedy to feature a transgender actor in a lead role. , a consumer affairs programme made by the Salford-based team behind Rip Off Britain, has been broadcasting all this week on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One.

Currently we have a production team in Cheshire filming The Worst Witch for CΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ colleagues in Yorkshire have been busy all week covering the Great Yorkshire Show. And we’ve announced today that new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One talent show , featuring Frodsham’s Gary Barlow, will be filming at MediaCityUK in the autumn. The public will be able to watch the audition stages being recorded in Salford.
So there’s a great deal of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ activity taking place right across the north.

Last week, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ made a series of management changes, designed to make us simpler and save money, which can be invested into programmes and services. It means the teams at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North will now report into different directors and form part of different divisions. But none of this changes anything on the ground where it is very much business as usual.

And we’re in the business of making great content. From Match of the Day to Dragons’ Den to Blue Peter to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport App, we’re busier than ever.

There is huge potential for creative and digital growth in the north, building on the already thriving creative sector in the region. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ wants to help drive this growth.

Our , published this week, showed for the first time in three years Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ spend in the regions went down last year. That mainly reflects fluctuations in production activity and can be attributed to 2015 being a quieter year for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport.

So I want to be clear, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is just as committed to the north as we were five years ago. I’ll leave you with some facts to mark our birthday.

Five Facts About Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North

1. There are 3,000 Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ staff based at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North in Salford.

2. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ has made more than 525 TV productions in the north since 2011.

3. 13,000 hours of network radio content is made in the region every year.

4. Around 35,000 hours of output a year comes from Salford across TV, Radio and the Red Button - reaching 100m people.

5. We have 650 digital staff on site in Salford – powering the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer and working on six of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s biggest digital products.

Five Things To Look Forward To

1. The Gift of Hearing – an inspiring documentary for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two about Gateshead woman Jo Milne who travels to Bangladesh to hand out hearing aids to disadvantaged children.

2. The Furchester Hotel - Sesame Street legend Big Bird joins Elmo, Cookie Monster and the rest of the gang in a new series of the CBeebies hit.

3. Our Girl/In The Dark/To Walk Invisible – Three original British dramas made in the north – all expected to air later this year.

4. 5 live line-up - There’ll be some new, and some less new, voices on 5 live this autumn. Prestwich’s Emma Barnett and Nihal Arthanayake join the daytime schedule while 5 live legends Jane Garvey and Peter Allen are reunited for a new Sunday evening show.

5. Hull: UK City of Culture 2017 – has whetted everyone’s appetite for the East Yorkshire city’s big year. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ will be playing a big part.

And finally

We’re lucky to have a world-class symphony orchestra based in Salford with us. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Philharmonic recorded its own special birthday tribute to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North.

Enjoy:

Here's to the next five years

Alice Webb is Director Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Children's and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ North.

Tagged with:

More Posts

Next

Round-up week 28 (9-15 July)