Film and TV studio will mark 'new era' for city

David Puttnam produced the 1981 film Chariots of Fire

A city which has had the "least out of the film industry" will undergo radical change once a major studio is built there, says filmmaker David Puttnam.

Work on the Crown Works Studio complex in Sunderland could start later this year, if plans are approved.

Mr Puttnam was Sunderland University's chancellor from 1997 to 2007, and produced the Chariots of Fire film in 1981.

He said the opening of the project on a former crane works could "be the start of a whole new era" for the city.

Devolution funding for the project has already been agreed, while FulwellCain, the company behind the project, says it has secured £450m of private investment.

Sunderland councillors are set to decide on a planning application for the site in coming weeks.

'Badly underperformed'

"The whole Fulwell initiative is incredibly exciting," Mr Puttnam told BBC Look North.

"The North East has badly underperformed in terms of revenue from the screen industries, and this is the time to turn things around.

"It seemed to me from what Jeremy Hunt said last week that the money will be there so who knows? It could be the start of a whole new era.

"Of all the industries in the UK, Sunderland has had the least out of the film industry and that's going to change."

The new studio complex is set to be built in three phases by 2027

Mr Puttnam was speaking as he returned to the city ahead of the summer re-release of Chariots of Fire.

The film follows two rival British runners trying to make the 1924 British Olympic team and has won several Bafta film and Golden Globe awards.

"I graduated thousands of students and I know the city very well, I have a lot of friends there and a have huge affection for it," he said.