- North East star Robson Green adds commentary to a new film projected onto Alnwick Castle and captured in drone footage
- New BBC North East gardening programme and comedy announced
- Figures just released show that the BBC contributes more than £133 million to the North East economy
- Liz White announced as co-star of North East drama series The Northumbria Mysteries
- Thousands gathered at Radio 1 Big Weekend in Sunderland earlier this week
- New North East collections available on BBC iPlayer and Sounds
One of the North East’s best known screen stars has voiced a unique BBC film projected onto the landmark Alnwick Castle.
Robson Green provided the voiceover for the distinctive footage which was created to underline the BBC’s commitment to homegrown storytelling from the region.
The film, part of the BBC’s Made Of Here campaign, ‘credits’ places, characteristics and BBC programmes that are made of the North East, including the banks of the Tyne; the Northumberland coast; graft and straight talking; Auf Wiedersehen, Pet; Byker Grove; Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes and Smoggie Queens.
Robson has returned to work in the region on The Northumbria Mysteries, a new daytime drama currently being filmed on location in Northumberland in which he stars as ex-convict and gambler Joe Ruby. It has been confirmed today that Robson’s co-star will be Liz White (Life on Mars; Call the Midwife) who plays Oxford-educated DI Rose O’Connell.
Other cast members include Simon Callow, Kevin Whately, Gurjeet Singh and Chris Gascoyne.
Filming locations include Brinkburn Priory, Alnmouth, Dunstanburgh Castle, Alnwick, Bamburgh, Morpeth, Eglingham, Rothbury, Embleton and Beadnell.
Later this year, Robson will again be on home turf to make a new programme, Growing Home with Robson Green, which will be filmed on location in the garden at his 350-year-old cottage on the banks of the Tyne.
Robson said: “The North East is rich in stories and in the people who tell them best. Seeing some of our most loved programmes, places and distinct identity projected onto Alnwick Castle and set against the Northumberland night sky, has been a real joy. I’m incredibly proud to be from here and it’s definitely a place of straight talkers and hard grafters.
“The programmes featured in the film, alongside my new series The Northumbria Mysteries and Growing Home, are not only made in the North East – they are made of it and reflect the character, voice and spirit of this special place.”
Other BBC content from the region includes:
- New comedy Sarnies, written by and starring Elijah Young (Smoggie Queens) and produced by Gateshead based company Candle & Bell will be filmed in June. Set in a sandwich shop in Newcastle’s iconic Bigg Market, Sarnies follows aspiring manager Sharon as she does her best to keep staff and new recruit Christopher, out of messy situations. The 10-minute short is exec produced by Chris Foggin (Bank of Dave).
- The second series of the Middlesbrough-set and filmed Smoggie Queens now available on BBC iPlayer.
- The BBC has commissioned a new mural of the five key cast members in Middlesbrough town centre.
- A new adaptation of Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, being filmed this spring in and around Hartlepool and Sunderland.
- New CBBC series The Lady Grace Mysteries, filmed partly in County Durham and available on iPlayer.
- The Dickie Show, a spin-off from Smoggie Queens, available on the BBC’s official YouTube channel and iPlayer.
Earlier this week, the region played host to Radio 1’s Big Weekend, when thousands of people converged on Herrington Country Park in Sunderland to hear standout sets from the likes of Olivia Dean, Zara Larsson, Ellie Goulding and Niall Horan and DJs including Fatboy Slim. The weekend demonstrated the BBC’s unique ability to bring people together.
The BBC’s activity in the region overall contributed more than £133 million to the North East, supporting 2,314 full time equivalent jobs in 2024/25 according to BBC analysis supported by EY. Across the region’s audiovisual sector the BBC accounts for 27% of economic activity.
The BBC has already announced new commitments to the creative growth of the North East in an extension of its successful collaboration with the region as part of its Across the UK strategy. The agreement between the BBC and North East Screen Industry Partnership (NESIP), backed by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, delivered by North East Screen, will continue to strengthen and broaden production activity and skills produced from the region.
Helen Munson, BBC Commissioning Editor Daytime and Early Peak said: “I’m proud to be working with Gateshead based production company Signpost Entertainment to bring Growing Home with Robson Green to audiences across the UK. Filmed and made here in the North East in Robson’s actual garden (thanks Robson!) it will make even the least green fingered of us want to get outdoors and make the most of whatever outside space we have.
“I’m also incredibly excited about our new casting announcements for The Northumbria Mysteries which shows the scale and ambition of our new drama filming here in the region over the summer. The passion and skills being poured into these productions by local talent demonstrates that this is a region with ambition, and it feels like we are only just getting started.”
A selection of BBC content from the region is available to watch on this NE iPlayer Collection and Sounds Collection.
Smoggie Queens, The Lady Grace Mysteries, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, The Northumbria Mysteries and Growing Home with Robson Green are supported by the North East Production Fund delivered on behalf of the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) by North East Screen.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I’ve always been clear I want our creative talents to have the success they deserve in the region, without needing to head off to the capital. That’s why I’m putting creative jobs at the heart of my plans for growth.
“We’re already seeing production ramp up in the North East, creating more opportunities for the amazing talent we have in the region. And earlier this year we announced record funding to boost creative skills and build the region’s first film studio to sustain that growth.
“This is about putting our region on the map as a production hub. The BBC clearly recognises what we have to offer, and I want more North East stories getting the screentime they deserve, being told by North East creatives.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This partnership with the BBC has played a hugely important role in supporting our ambition to establish our region as a growing centre for the creative and digital industries.
“The extension will develop even more opportunities to showcase our incredible locations and outstanding local talent, while building on our reputation as a leading destination for TV and film-making.
“On top of our investment in first-class facilities at Hartlepool’s Northern Studios, it will also further support the development of local skills, inspire greater ambition, and help local people see that they can build a successful career in TV and film right here in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”
North East Screen chief executive Alison Gwynn said: “The North East has always been full of creativity, resilience and brilliant storytelling. Having the BBC behind us means more of our stories reaching global audiences which means more local jobs, more training pathways, and more chances for people from every corner of our region to be part of a thriving screen industry – Smoggie Queens is a great example of that working really well – from an award-winning writer and performers and heads of department to opening up more entry level pathways.
“The renewed MOU commitment from BBC recognises our region’s strength and positions us as a key player in the UK’s future screen landscape. The extension shows the BBC believes in the North East, as a welcoming home to major productions thanks to our stunning world-class locations, crew and facilities.”
