Bristol's film and TV industry has generated millions of pounds for the city over the last year, new data has revealed. A number of major productions have been filmed in the city over the period including comedy star Daisy May Cooper's Am I Being Unreasonable? and Stephen Merchant's The Outlaws.
According to new figures from the Bristol Film Office, film and television production has generated £20.8m for the local economy in the 2021-2022 financial year. It's a 22 per cent increase on pre-pandemic figures and the largest contribution that filming-related activity has made towards Bristol’s economy in a decade.
Other screen hits that contributed towards the total revenue include Chloe, Showtrial and The Girl Before. There were 1,067 filming days carried out at the Bristol City Council-owned Bottle Yard Studios and/or on location over the period - up 10% on the year previously. Meanwhile, a total of 709 licences were issued by Bristol Film Office, permitting filming to take place on council-owned streets, properties and green spaces.
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The 2021-2022 figures are the first annual stats released by Bristol Film Office that illustrate an uninterrupted 12-month period of post-pandemic recovery for Bristol film and TV production. The previous year’s annual total of £12.6m was lower than preceding years due to the three-month pause in production enforced in the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Senior film manager at Bristol City Council Laura Aviles, who oversees Bristol Film Office and The Bottle Yard Studios, said the figures painted "an extremely healthy picture for Bristol’s thriving film and TV sector".
"The numbers were no surprise to our Film Office and Bottle Yard staff," she said. "We knew that production had kicked back into gear quickly after the production pause during the first lockdown in 2020. Since then, our teams have been busier than ever supporting productions on the ground. The skilled crew, companies and facilities we work alongside, all play a vital role in making Bristol one of the most film-friendly cities in the UK.”
The news comes ahead of the opening of Bottle Yard’s new £12m facility this autumn. TBY2 is being built on an industrial site in South Bristol and will have three sound stages - 20,000 sq ft, 16,500 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft. More than 40,000 sq ft of ancillary space is also being built, including serviced production offices, prop stores, construction workshops, costume and makeup, and break-out areas.
Operations at the original Bottle Yard site have also been boosted by a further £1.6m investment by Bristol City Council in renewal and repair works. Overall, the investment in the main Studios and new TBY2 site is expected to create around 1,000 jobs over the next 10 years, supported by a Workforce Development Programme focused on high-end TV skills and targeting development of new talent in South Bristol.
Councillor Craig Cheney, deputy mayor and cabinet member for finance, governance and performance, added: “Bristol’s film and TV sector is a valuable contributor not only to the city’s fiscal economy but to our social economy too. Despite the industry continuing to recover to its full strength post-pandemic, it’s clear to see the value brought to Bristol through the hundreds of productions supported this year.”
Period drama Sanditon was one of the biggest productions to film in the city in 2021-2022. After its recommission, series two and three based production at the Brabazon Hangars (the future home of YTL Arena Bristol) where Sanditon’s village sets were built. Series two aired earlier this year on Masterpiece and BritBox UK and is available now on ITV. Series three, which will feature scenes filmed at Bristol’s Georgian House, is expected to air next year.
Other titles assisted by Bristol Film Office included: Peter Kosminsky’s The Undeclared War (Channel 4/ Peacock), which built large scale anti-capitalist sets on Redcliffe Wharf; Sky Max thriller The Lazarus Project starring Paapa Essiedu, which transformed Bedminster’s East Street into a 1990s strip of bookies and electronic store shop fronts; and upcoming special Doctor Who: The Power of The Doctor.
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