Boom time for North East TV and film sector

GROWTH in the North East's burgeoning screen industry is significantly outpacing the rest of the UK.

- By JAMES ROBINSON Local Democracy Reporter

North East Screen CEO Alison Gwynn says the region’s growth is 1.5 times faster than anywhere in the country.

It follows the success of films like Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later and ITV's hit drama I Fought the Law.

Ms Gwynn said she was hopeful that growth can provide career opportunities for the region’s young people.

She said: “My organisation's job is to increase the amount of television and film produced across the North East. The film industry packs a punch - 2.5 million people work in the sector and the North East is growing 1.5 times quicker than any other in the UK.

“For the North East, for decades film and telly was something that was made somewhere else. Unless you got a job on Vera, you had to give up on the dream of working in a fantastic industry or leave the region.