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Four BBC TV series 'generated £43.5m for NI economy'

BBC Two cast members of the series Blue Lights, one woman and one man in PSNI uniforms in a police car. The man is holding a Blue Lights clapper board, both are smiling BBC
Both series of Blue Lights have been made in Northern Ireland

The TV series Blue Lights, Hope Street, Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind generated more than £43m for the Northern Ireland economy, a BBC report has estimated.

All four series are made in Northern Ireland.

The report estimates that more than 280 jobs have been supported through Blue Lights and Hope Street alone.

In 2023/24, the BBC invested £112m in to Northern Ireland, according to the report, which was carried out by BBC economists using data from independent production companies.

It said police drama Blue Lights has generated an estimated £20m to the Northern Ireland economy through employment and spending in the supply chain across its first two series.

The series, made by Two Cities Television, employed an average of 59 cast of which 83% were either born in or a resident of Northern Ireland.

Of the crew of 246, more than 87% were from Northern Ireland.

Hope Street's four series have generated £17.5m for the Northern Ireland economy and the two series of Mastermind £6m.

The report states that the BBC has also supported 20 independent companies in Northern Ireland this year through funded ideas development and strategic development.

Five cast members of Hope Street, four of them in PSNI uniform stand in front of a police car on a pier with a lighthouse in the background
The four series of Hope Street have generated £17.5m for the Northern Ireland economy, the report says

Speaking at the Belfast Media Festival, BBC director general Tim Davie said: “Today there can be no doubt about the world-class offer of this sector, and the creative firepower of this nation.

"Big, multi-series BBC dramas like Blue Lights have played a key role in helping to drive and embed that change, and returning series like Hope Street are vital in both showcasing the skills on offer here and providing a career pathway for individuals to develop.

"But perhaps most important of all is the fact that shows like these are telling the unique, authentic stories of this place and its people.

“I believe a thriving and sustainable screen industry in Northern Ireland needs the BBC at its heart.

"A BBC that, in its second century here, is more committed than ever before to working with the sector and backing its future.”

The BBC has also announced the commissioning of Farm 999, a new series by Belfast-based Stellify Media.

The 15-part series will tell first-hand stories involving the emergency services and rural communities across the UK.

It also confirmed the return of The Finish Line for a third series, filming of which will begin in Belfast early next year.