[Commlist] Channel 4 Symposium

*New Frontiers? Channel 4’s Move out of London*

*One Day On-line Symposium 7 July 2021*

**

*Hosted by the Digital Cultures Research Group, University of the West 
of England Bristol and **the BAFTSS Screen Industries Special Interest 
Group *

In October 2018 Channel 4 announced it would be relocating its National 
Headquarters in London to Leeds, with Glasgow and Bristol becoming 
regional ‘Creative Hubs’. Part of Channel’s ‘4 All the UK’ strategy, 
these new bases are designed to ‘attract and develop talent from across 
the UK, both on and off-screen, and support the significant increase in 
the organisation’s Nations & Regions spend on creative content’ (Channel 
4 website). As one of the three main UK public service broadcasters, 
Channel 4’s relocation to Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol is arguably one of 
the most significant events in these cities’ screen histories.

Channel 4’s move was symptomatic of a longer history of the 
regionalisation of screen production, including the federated ITV 
franchises that were set up in the 1950s and the BBC’s relocation of 
five departments to MediaCity UK, Salford, Greater Manchester in 2011. 
It is embedded within broader political, economic and cultural 
strategies that aim to challenge London’s dominance and to ‘rebalance’ 
the UK’s screen ecology. The television regulator Ofcom sets stringent 
targets for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to spend a significant proportion 
of their programming budget outside London. The broadcasters accept a 
responsibility towards inclusivity and diversity in their public 
statements. The BBC’s new charter (1 January 2017), for instance, 
renewed the corporation’s commitment ‘to reflect, represent and serve 
the diverse communities of all the United Kingdom’s nations and regions, 
and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United 
Kingdom’ (Public Purpose 4).

The aim of this one-day conference is to discuss the motivations, 
mechanisms and political machinations of Channel 4’s move out of London 
and to debate these broader issues about the role of regional screen 
production. Presenters explore the relationship between regional 
cultural production and the increasingly global dynamics shaping 
audio-visual culture, asking if relocation will be a force for 
progressive change, stimulating creativity, encouraging new voices and 
genuine diversity. These issues will be broached through a specific 
focus on the significance of location to Channel 4 as a 
publisher-broadcaster and its potential impact on the host cities – 
Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol. Academic papers will be followed by a 
presentation from Kevin Blacoe, Channel 4’s Head of Partnerships Nations 
and Regions, a panel discussion and a plenary. There will be 
opportunities throughout for audience involvement in the discussions.

For further information – symposium schedule, speaker abstracts and 
biographies and how to register for this free event – please visit: 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-frontiers-channel-4s-move-out-of-london-1-day-symposium-uwe-bristol-tickets-159430592193 


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