Britain has become the most sought after filming location for the biggest budget movies and television dramas.
The UK’s proud legacy of producing era-defining franchises like James Bond, Harry Potter, Game Of Thrones and The Crown is now respected and envied across the globe.
And increased demand for blockbuster films and TV dramas from streaming services like Netflix has created an urgent need for more film studios, and skilled crews.
Film producer and businessman Robert Laycock, who is building a major studio in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, says: “We have to make sure we have the facilities where and when people want them.
“When you are making a film you go where the talent is and for the next 100 years Europe, and particularly the UK, is going to be a much stronger place to set up these facilities for big budget productions.”
A recent report from the British Film Institute showed UK films now represent 16 per cent of global ticket sales.
And 85 per cent of these were produced in a west London to Buckinghamshire corridor that includes the iconic Pinewood and Shepperton film studios.
As a result, the UK film and TV industry is growing 15 times faster than the UK economy, with a record £6.27billion spent on film and high-end television production last year.
Some 92 per cent of inward investment comes from the US, with spending on film and TV production now forecast to grow to £7.5billion by 2025.
The BFI recently said there will be 20,000 new roles in the industry, named by one in five people as their dream job, in the next few years.
Tax breaks for big budget film production introduced by Gordon Brown in 2007 were extended to high-end TV, animation and video games by then culture and digital economy minister Ed Vaizey.
The now Lord Vaizey of Didcot is also credited with helping keep the filming of the Harry Potter movies at Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire in 2013.
Film tax relief is available at 25 per cent of qualifying film production expenditure, regardless of budget size, as long as 10 per cent of core expenditure of the production is in the UK.
Leo Pearlman is managing partner of the Fulwell 73 Group, which made The Late Late Show with James Corden, and is also one of the production company’s partners.
He said he is excited by the increased demand for cutting-edge film studios in the UK, along with well-trained crews, that the ever-growing need for high quality content for streaming services has created.
Leo says: “While the US for one reason or another has not been able to provide quite the same supply, the UK has stepped in.
“The UK has a rich history of making big budget films and high-end television with the iconic studios we have like Pinewood and Shepperton. When you talk to the heads of content for the streaming companies, they are so excited coming and shooting in studios that have such a heritage.As soon as they get to the UK they realise the locations available across this incredible country are second to none.”