Glasgow shortlisted for Channel 4 HQ

Glasgow has made the shortlist of potential sites for Channel 4's new national headquarters.

The broadcaster will move 300 staff out of London to three new bases next year in the biggest change to its structure in 35 years.

Glasgow joins Bristol, Cardiff, Greater Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and the West Midlands on the shortlist for the HQ or creative hub.

Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter that the announcement was "brilliant".

Belfast, Brighton, Newcastle-Gateshead, Nottingham, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent have also made the cut to be considered to be a creative hub.

Of the three new hubs in the nations and regions, the largest will be the new national HQ.

It will have facilities including a TV studio, from which the Channel 4 News can be broadcast.

The first-round pitch process was launched in April, with more than 30 submissions entered.

Each of the shortlisted cities will now participate in a second-stage process - which will include Channel 4 visiting each city for a presentation and Q&A.

The final locations will be selected in October 2018.

Broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove, who has led the Glasgow bid, said on Twitter that he was "delighted" that Glasgow had made the shortlist.

"Many thanks to the thousands that have voiced their support. Taking nothing for granted but we are up for the cup," he added.

In a statement later Mr Cosgrove, Channel 4's former head of programmes (nations and regions), said: "We're delighted that Channel 4 gets Glasgow and what the city has to offer.

"I'm looking forward to showing them much more over the summer.

"Glasgow meets all the criteria for the new national HQ; but that's just where our pitch starts, not where it ends.

"This is a young, educated, diverse city that is bursting with talent, attitude and potential. It is a real privilege to have the job of putting all of that in front of Channel 4. I think they'll love it."

Scotland's Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP welcomed the decision as "tremendous news".

She said: "With its already-thriving film and TV sector and growing production community I believe that Glasgow is the ideal location.

"The city has one of the most vibrant cultural scenes in Europe and is already home to BBC Scotland, STV, more than 120 production companies, and the new National Film and Television School Scotland - which is backed with Scottish government funding.

"I congratulate the bid team on all their hard work so far, and wish them the best of luck in this final part of the process."

Jonathan Allan, Channel 4's chief commercial officer, who is leading the pitch process, said: "We've been incredibly impressed both by the number of pitches we received and by the high quality of the submissions - which has underlined the huge amount of creativity, innovation and talent right across the UK.

"However, we have to move to a shortlist phase and, after careful consideration by the Channel 4 executive team, we've selected 13 cities that are best able to meet our vision for our new hubs in the nations and regions.

"We look forward to visiting all those on the shortlist as part of our second phase, but we will also be continuing to work with all cities and regions as part of our strategy to increase investment and support creative businesses, jobs and growth across the UK."

The move is part of Channel 4's strategy to increase spending on its nations and regions content from its current quota of 35% to a new voluntary target of 50% by 2023.