The Stage

Hat Trick hits the north

Published Tuesday 15 February 2005 at 11:10 by Liz Thomas

Hat Trick Productions, the independent producer of shows such as Room 101, The Kumars at No. 42 and Have I Got News for You, has opened its first regional office in Manchester.

Headed by Rebecca Papworth, whose credits include I Love the 1980s and Have I Got News for You, Hat Trick North is hoping to take advantage of the area’s talent and resources.

The new office’s development team will focus on the creation of comedy, factual entertainment and original drama and will provide a contact point for the company across the north of England.

Papworth said: “Our intention is to build on Hat Trick’s successful brand and to develop a raft of programming. We are offering an open door policy to programme makers, writers, performers and comedians. We’re interested in nurturing new and different voices, as well as working with more established talent to get exciting and interesting programming onto our screens.”

An increasing number of shows are developed in Manchester including BBC1 programmes Cutting It and Blackpool, Channel 4 production Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere and ITV’s The Second Coming. Last year Objective Productions, which makes Derren Brown - Mind Control and Peep Show, announced it was opening an office in Manchester while BBC director-general Mark Thompson has made the city a key feature in his radical overhaul of the organisation.

The Corporation has also created a £500,000 annual development fund, using money from its drama, entertainment and factual departments, to encourage indies to make programmes outside London.