BBC confirms greatest enlargement in West Midlands in over 10 years

The BBC has at present signed a second memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Create Central, as a part of its Across the UK technique. 

The settlement units out a major enlargement of BBC manufacturing funding to additional help inventive development within the West Midlands, working with WMCA, Create Central and native companions to advertise the area as a centre of inventive excellence to the broader business.

It will guarantee BBC community tv manufacturing spend within the West Midlands nearly doubles from £24m to £40m a yr by the top of 2027. 

Since its first MOU with West Midlands companions, the BBC has dedicated to relocating its regional Midlands HQ to the brand new Tea Factory website in Digbeth, and has relocated quite a few key TV productions there.

Recent evaluation commissioned by the BBC reveals that the Corporation’s extra funding within the West Midlands, since 2021, will deliver a further £282m of financial profit to the area by 2031. This financial impression will develop additional following at present’s settlement. 

BBC Director-General, Tim Davie says: “This is one other transformative second for the inventive industries within the West Midlands. The MOU will considerably enhance funding in expertise, alternative and expertise for native individuals, in addition to tales from the area in BBC programmes.

“Our settlement with the WMCA and Create Central deepens our partnership with the West Midlands to safe its place as a world-class centre for movie and TV manufacturing.”

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands says: “The BBC’s funding is important as a result of our TV and artistic industries are quick changing into powerhouses of our regional economic system. Hits like Peaky Blinders put the West Midlands on the world stage and introduced our first main studio. 

“This partnership means we can provide backing at all levels, priming local people to seize new opportunities, while making it easier than ever for blockbuster productions to film here.”

Chair of Create Central, Ed Shedd says: “This subsequent part of our partnership with the BBC and WMCA is one other large enhance for the West Midlands’ inventive content material sector.  By growing each the variety of productions right here, within the area, and constructing essential native infrastructure, expertise and workforce, we’re not solely strengthening the business but in addition creating actual jobs and alternatives for native inventive expertise. 

“Together we’ll construct a thriving manufacturing base that helps companies, embraces rising applied sciences and new platforms, attracts ground-breaking tasks and ensures the West Midlands is recognised as one of many UK’s most enjoyable locations to make content material.”

In at present’s MOU the BBC is committing to:

• Building the combo of scripted output within the area, and strengthening its presence in unscripted alongside MasterChef, Great British Menu and Garden Rescue.
• Continuing to work with the WMCA, Display screenSkills and different companions to put money into expertise and expertise growth, in addition to companion with inventive organisations on apprenticeships and traineeships.
• BBC Studios will arrange a brand new purpose-built manufacturing base in Digbeth after leaving the Drama Village, to be used by BBC Studios and third-party commissions and programmes.
• Extending the variety of alternatives for regional producers to fulfill and develop relationships with BBC commissioning colleagues, as we broaden our commissioner footprint within the area.
• BBC Public Service and BBC Commercial will work with native companions and organisations in Digbeth, Birmingham and the West Midlands to develop the impression of its presence and investments, in addition to alternatives for native communities.
• BBC Studioworks and Digbeth Loc Studios have joined forces by means of a brand new business and operational settlement. This partnership brings collectively BBC Studioworks’ operational experience with the world-class inventive hub now open at Digbeth Loc to cement Birmingham as one of many UK’s most dynamic properties for storytelling.

The BBC has additionally introduced new dramas The Hairdresser Mysteries and Detection Club which shall be produced within the West Midlands, with The Hairdresser Mysteries filmed within the area. The Corporation has additionally launched photos of the new Digbeth Loc based mostly MasterChef studio.

In at present’s MOU the WMCA is committing to speculate a minimal of £5m every year in inventive industries infrastructure between April 2025 and March 2028 for actions together with:

• Establishing a manufacturing fund value £2m per yr for the West Midlands to encourage extra manufacturing exercise within the area
• Funding a brand new region-wide manufacturing providers workplace, Production Central, delivered by West Midlands Growth Company, with the assets to unlock manufacturing enterprise and wider alternatives for the area.
• Investing in mental property being developed by inventive companies based mostly within the area and supporting entrepreneurs to thrive and scale.
• Developing and investing within the Skills Accelerator programme, to help a rising manufacturing expertise pipeline for the area, which displays the variety of the West Midlands together with socio-economically.
• Working with regional native authorities and different companions to fund and ship elevated provide of manufacturing areas and infrastructure, in addition to incentives to arrange and broaden within the area.
• Working with companions to help plans to develop Digbeth as an interesting, protected, and well-connected place.

This week the BBC additionally launched its new Made Of marketing campaign which celebrates its dedication to supporting homegrown storytelling and portrayal from throughout the UK.  At the center of the marketing campaign is a compelling new movie; the BBC’s love letter to locations throughout the UK which have impressed a few of its most iconic TV reveals and characters, and consists of Birmingham, Peaky Blinders and Man Like Mobeen.

BBC Press Office

Notes to editors

• The MOU is on the market to learn in full right here.
• The BBC’s partnership with WMCA and Create Central is a key a part of the BBC’s Across the UK technique to develop inventive funding and decision-making throughout the UK and be sure that the UK’s nations and areas are higher mirrored and represented throughout its programmes and providers.
• This settlement builds on the success of the BBC’s first MOU with WMCA and Create Central that has been delivered in full.
• As a part of its Across the UK technique, the BBC has relocated key TV productions and groups to the West Midlands similar to Silent Witness and MasterChef to Digbeth, in addition to relocating programmes and groups to Birmingham together with BBC Asian Network, weekday peak programming on BBC 1Xtra, new programming for Radio 1 Anthems in addition to BBC News groups together with BBC Newsbeat and BBC Verify groups.
• Alongside the BBC, inventive companions and key suppliers have elevated their presence and funding in Digbeth and the West Midlands. This consists of Banijay Group (Shine, Kudos Knight), Spun Gold TV, Full Fat, and Clear Cut.
• BBC presence within the West Midlands area consists of a few of its most profitable and iconic programmes, similar to The Archers which celebrates its seventy fifth anniversary with particular commissioning subsequent yr.
• Overall, the BBC has round 600 roles based mostly within the West Midlands.
• In June 2025, the West Midlands was named as one in every of six precedence areas for the Creative Places Growth Fund, as a part of the UK Government’s wider Creative Industries Sector Plan.

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