Bristol's film production scene 'booming'

Filmed with assistance from Bristol Film Office in 2021-22 (clockwise from top left): Sanditon (BritBox UK/Masterpiece); The Undeclared War (Channel 4/Peacock); The Long Call (ITV); The Lazarus project (Sky Max)

The film industry in Bristol has reached record levels generating an estimated revenue of £20.8m in the last year, city officials say.

Figures released by the Bristol Film Office (BFO) show that in 2021-22 filming in the city was up by 10%.

A total of 1,067 filming days were carried out at the Bristol City Council-owned Bottle Yard Studios.

Film-makers have described the city as "very film friendly" with an advanced production infrastructure.

Am I Being Unreasonable?, The Outlaws, Chloe, Showtrial and The Girl Before are just some of the screen hits made in the city, contributing to a total revenue of £20,857,000 in 2021/22, according to the BFO.

Councillor Craig Cheney said the figures had contributed to the city maintaining its status as a Unesco City Of Film.

In July, three Bristol-made films were selected to be shown in Brazil alongside others at the Unesco Cities of Film Festival.

Filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in the city in 2021-22 (clockwise from top left): The Outlaws series two (BBC One/Amazon Prime Video); Showtrial (BBC One); Chloe (BBC One/Amazon Prime Video); The Girl Before (BBC One/HBO Max)

Mr Cheney, deputy mayor and cabinet member for finance, governance and performance, said: "Bristol's film and TV sector is a valuable contributor not only to the city's fiscal economy but to our social economy too."

Following a three-month pause in production enforced in the first COVID-19 lockdown, the figures are the first annual figures released by the BFO that illustrate an uninterrupted 12-month period of post-pandemic recovery for film and TV production.

'Array of locations'

A total of 709 licences were issued, permitting filming to take place on city council-owned streets, properties and green spaces.

Shane Allen, executive producer of new BBC One comedy thriller Am I Being Unreasonable?, said: "Bristol proved a terrific choice for many practical reasons and in giving the show its identity."

"Aside from the well-run Bottle Yard base, there is a wealthy array of city and rural location options within a relatively short radius.

"There's something of the soul of the West Country in Am I Being Unreasonable?."

The Bottle Yard Studios is the largest dedicated studio facility in the West of England and a major hub for film and TV production.