Talent from the North East and new programmes have been highlighted for praise by BBC director for England Peter Salmon.
Writing in his latest newsletter, one of the noteworthy items Salmon mentions is the UK’s first transgender sitcom which is soon to screen following a successful pilot at the Salford Sitcom Showcase.
He says: “Newer north east talent like Elliot Kerrigan are getting their breaks this spring with Boy Meets Girl, BBC Two’s newest sitcom series, written and created by Elliot, being shot in east Manchester’s new Space studios and on location in Newcastle about an unlikely but poignant romance.
“Next month on BBC Radio 4 it’s series three of Home Front, ground-breaking First World War radio drama set in Tynemouth and North Shields, whose 40 episodes will feature many brilliant NE actors. Around Easter it’s Inspector George Gently’s turn, when Martin Shaw’s Sixties cop show from Durham returns to BBC One for another series. The North East is really rocking.”
The regular circular also goes on to detail other key events over the year including the election coverage and picks up on the recent NAO report where we revealed the numbers of staff found to be working in Salford saying:
“Our Salford based teams cover the region, the UK and the world, so it’s not surprising the NAO recently reported they could only count 1,600 of us actually working on site one day (when we were still a smaller compliment of 2,300). Some of us in Salford work from our desks, others are out covering sports events from Rio to Wimbledon or news reporting from Paris to the Middle East, or making cracking programmes from Hull to Carlisle.”
The upbeat mailing concludes with an air-punching statement from the director: “Television, radio and online – the new rock and roll? I like to think so.”
