BBC £1m Shareout To Regional Indies

The BBC has chosen 23 independent production companies between which it will share its £1m regional development fund. The fund was launched at Broadcast's Commissioning Conference in Manchester last November. It was intended to support programme development from indies that are based outside the M25.

Over 133 companies applied, originally short-listed to 43 who were invited to submit more detailed business plans. From these submissions, 23 indies will receive development funding, but many indies have expressed anger at the way the shareout has gone, suggesting it has been paid into cash rich companies, not poorer ones.. They say many of the successful bidders are well able to fund programme development for themselves.

The Programme Development Find 23 beneficiaries were confirmed by BBC's director of television, Jana Bennett at a Birmingham networking event. Alongside the cash, the successful companies will have fast-track access to key BBC commissioners and regular meetings to progress ideas.

The companies selected to receive grants in the four programme genre areas are:

Drama

IWC (Glasgow), Hopscotch (Glasgow), Indus (Cardiff), Green Park (Belfast), Yipp (Newcastle), Headline (Newcastle), Talkback (Leeds), Bigger Pictures (Leeds).

Factual entertainment

Hotbed (Birmingham), Imago (Norwich), Scarlet (Manchester), Aspect (Cardiff), Doubleband (Belfast), Caledonia (Glasgow), True North (Leeds).

Comedy

Freeform (Manchester), Hanrahan Media (Stratford), Angel Eye (Glasgow), Avalon (Manchester).

Entertainment

Baby Cow (Manchester), Green Inc (Belfast), Endemol (Glasgow), Maverick (Birmingham).

Some company bosses reacted angrily to the announcement.

Malcolm Allsop, managing director of the Norwich-based Town House TV said “You have to ask yourself what's the purpose of it [the fund] and you also have to ask that this is licence fee money and you have to think would they be enormously happy that their licence fee money is going to these companies. Does a company like Endemol need any help? In what way is that going to grow a non-metropolitan company? Is this money going to help them grow or do something they couldn't have done otherwise?"

One indie executive based outside the M25 in the South of England said, "Basically they are London-based companies who have set up regional arms. They are not like us. We were established in a region, do the majority of our production and all of our post production in the region."

"This just seems ridiculous. This money should be for companies that need development support - not big multi-million pound operations that have turnovers bigger than the combined income of most of the other indies on the list".

In response to the crticisms a BBC spokesperson says "It's important for the BBC to look at companies of all sizes outside London. “We're concerned with getting ideas from a wide range of suppliers and we also want to make sure that those ideas can be delivered effectively, since there's a real urgency about ramping up out-of-London production, so we want to look at companies with a significant presence and track record too."

Talkback Thames said of the changes, "We will look to develop local staff and local productions. That's what it's about. We can also move existing productions there. It is a regional development in the true sense of it. With a bit of size comes a bit of clout, and it gets the ball rolling quicker. The BBC with this award have always said they want a mix of size, track record and speciality."

Endemol UK said; "In developing entertainment in Scotland we are addressing a need specifically identified by the BBC."