The Stage

£500,000 for Scottish Screen

Published Tuesday 7 March 2006 at 13:15 by Liz Thomas

Development agency Scottish Screen is to receive a £500,000 cash injection for the next financial year from the Scottish Executive.

The money will be ploughed into the country’s television and film industry in a bid to bolster development at an important time for production in the nations and regions, with the major broadcasters and more independent production companies investing and working outside London. This latest boost brings funding for the agency up to £3.5 million.

Scottish Screen chief executive Ken Hay welcomed the additional funding and added: “The extra £500,000 is obviously good news as it demonstrates the executive’s on-going commitment to the development of the screen industries across Scotland. We have been working closely with the executive in identifying key development areas and this increase in investment will allow us to implement a range of initiatives supporting individual talent, businesses and audiences across the country.”

The BBC has already pledged to ensure that 50% of its drama budget will be spent outside the capital and to increase the number of programmes made in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2012. Under the control of Julie Gardner, BBC Wales’ drama department has enjoyed a boom period, producing popular series such as Doctor Who and Rocket Man. Meanwhile, BBC Northern Ireland recently unveiled a number of new comedy commissions and Scotland is looking to match such successes and planning to increase its production output, especially in drama.