How Tracy Beaker will save region

Mar 28 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

A £2m investment in North East talent will boost the region’s ailing television industry and pave the way for future productions, a BBC chief claimed.

Peter Salmon, the newly-appointed director of BBC North, made the pledge as he came to the city to officially unveil the new series of children’s programme Tracy Beaker. But he also admitted the region had been neglected by London-based programme makers.

It comes after concerns were raised about the area’s vanishing TV profile and the January axing of the last network drama series made here, Wire In The Blood.

The 13-part CBBC Tracy Beaker series will be filmed in Newcastle and will be screened in 2010.

Local TV technicians, regional actors and film crews are all likely to benefit from the move as jobs are created.

And Mr Salmon claimed the production of the children’s programme could re-ignite the region’s TV profile.

He said: “There’s more than £2m of production activity and it’s all going to be filmed across several months this summer.

“There will be work for technicians, actors and film crews, with a lot of freelance workers being staffed too. With Byker Grove the North East once led the way and Tracy Beaker is one of the most watched programmes we have. I really hope it will put the region back on the map.”

Mr Salmon also said ITV staff could be working alongside their BBC rivals as part of plans to cut down costs at the regional news broadcaster.