UK Film Industry
Debate between Lord Harrington of Watford and Jason McCartneyWestminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
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Richard Harrington
My hon. Friend makes an extremely good point that goes to the nub of my argument.
For once in this country, we have all the infrastructure. We have studios such as Ealing, Pinewood, Shepperton and Elstree. Of course, no one would dispute that the Hollywood of the UK is Watford and Leavesden, which makes some of the lusher, more tree-lined roads in Watford very much akin to Beverly Hills.
Jason McCartney (Colne Valley) (Con)
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. There has been a lot of talk about south of Watford, but I want to stand up for Yorkshire and the north. Probably one of the most successful British films of recent years was “The Full Monty”, which was filmed just down the road from me, in Sheffield, and I remember going to see it at Penistone picture house. However, my constituency has also hosted two long-running television series, which shows our expertise in film, with all the crew who were involved. We had “Last of the Summer Wine” in Holmfirth, which ran for more than 30 years, and the ITV drama “Where the Heart Is” in Slaithwaite. We have lots of wonderful skills—not just in the television industry—and it is important that we keep them employed in this country. Indeed, if we go on holiday to New Zealand or other English-speaking countries, we find that they also love our dramas, so this really is a good industry for us. Well done to my hon. Friend for securing the debate.
Richard Harrington
I greatly appreciate that point. Everything that is made in Colne Valley, and every television programme and film that is made, shows research and development working on the spot. A lot of the world-class facilities that this country has developed for graphic arts and special effects have come from films, rather than from laboratories or other fields.
There is a compelling argument here. The Government have done an excellent job on the film producer credit, which the industry is grateful for and which works, but we should look carefully at creating an industry that is British financed and British made, and whose profits remain in Britain. Thank you very much for your time, Mr Chope.