Channel 4: Joy for Manchester, but Liverpool loses out
Manchester is still in the running for the new headquarters of Channel 4, but Liverpool is out of the race.
Channel 4 has reduced its shortlist of seven locations to just three as it gets closer to selecting the home of its new national headquarters.
Birmingham, Greater Manchester and Leeds have made it onto the final shortlist.
The decision means Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Coventry, which had been pushed as an option within the initial West Midlands bid, will no longer be considered for the national HQ.
However Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow remain on a shortlist of three to be chosen for a creative hub.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council and deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “This is brilliant news.
“We welcome Channel 4’s decision to shortlist us which we believe is a massive vote of confidence in Greater Manchester and reflects the area’s established track record as a national broadcasting centre, a dynamic region with access to a wealth of creative talent and somewhere capable of supporting both existing and new business operations.
“We look forward to continuing to make this case. This would be a further boost for the area’s growth trajectory.”
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is the natural choice for Channel 4. Our unrivalled connectivity, the diverse and young nature of our population and the strength of our creative and digital economy mean we have a really compelling case.”
The broadcaster is moving around 300 jobs out of London to a main hub and two smaller creative hubs as part of its Nations and Regions strategy, although its London HQ will remain its dominant site.
Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer, said: “We have again had to take some very difficult decisions on which cities to take forward to the next stage, but we believe the six cities we have selected are best able to deliver against our vision and requirements for the new National HQ and Creative Hubs.”
There is also disappointment for the six cities which were originally shortlisted for a creative hub – Belfast, Brighton, Newcastle-Gateshead, Nottingham, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent.
Liverpool’s Mayor Joe Anderson tweeted his disappointment about the city missing out. The disappointment was keenly felt because of the city’s identity as a creative and media hub and its longstanding relationship with Channel 4 through soap operas Brookside and Hollyoaks.
Sorry to announce Liverpool has not been shortlisted for C4 relocation or Hub. A huge thank you everyone who supported the bid? sad to be told a big problem was Liverpool not being connected transport wise. Exactly why not getting HS2 link is wrong?and shortsighted.
— Joe Anderson (@mayor_anderson) July 23, 2018
Liverpool had hosted a flying visit by C4 bosses in a bid to convince them of the city’s credentials.
The C4 team, which included chief executive Alex Mahon and chief commercial officer Jonathan Allan, were given a helicopter tour of the city to show off key facilities, such as the former Littlewoods Building on Edge Lane – set to be the home of a new “Hollywood-standard filming complex”.
The five-strong C4 team was also given a presentation at the Royal Liver Building, involving Mayor Anderson and the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
Brookside creator, Prof Philip Redmond, was among the backers to bring C4’s HQ to Liverpool.
He said: “The city has been part of, not just Channel 4 since its first day, but a strand within the UK’s creative DNA.
“From the written word, through performance, sport and production, to the national museums and leading edge science and technology, Liverpool is always a first mover.
“Alongside this, the legacy of Brookside lives on with Hollyoaks at Lime Pictures, and that, plus the best Screen School and Film Office in the UK, provide a creative firmament unmatched anywhere else. Outside London – Liverpool is the premier creative city.”
Channel 4 has previously said it will select the final locations in October.
It has said the national headquarters will be placed somewhere with a working population of more than 200,000 people, have a high level of physical and digital connectivity, and a travel time to London that is below three hours.
It has also highlighted five key considerations – demography and diversity, availability of talent, local connectivity, travel links to London and its creative hubs, and the suitability of available office space – that the successful bidder will perform strongly on.
