‘We’ve done it!’: Unanimous decision to locate the new Channel 4 HQ in Leeds
“We’ve done it!” are the words shared by Leeds City Council’s CEO as it was announced that Channel 4 is to locate its new national headquarters in Leeds after a unanimous decision by the broadcaster’s board yesterday.
Channel 4’s Chief Executive Alex Mahon and the Channel 4 Board confirmed that Leeds will be the location of its new National HQ. Bristol and Glasgow will be the locations of its two new Creative Hubs. It follows a long process after the launch of Channel 4’s “4 All the UK” strategy in March – the biggest structural change in its 35 year history.
At the heart of it is an increase in the organisation’s Nations and Regions content spend – from 35% to 50% of main channel UK commissions by 2023, worth up to £250m more in total.
The new National HQ and Creative Hubs will be home to 300 Channel 4 jobs when fully established, including key creative decision makers responsible for commissioning Channel 4 content and programmes across the UK. Following discussions between Channel 4 and ITN, it has also been decided that a major new Channel 4 News hub will be established in Leeds, in a new building including a studio with the capability to regularly co-anchor the programme.
However, it is still unconfirmed where the new hub will be built. A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesman said: “Locations in terms of property [is] a matter for further discussion with Channel 4.”
Tom Riordan, Leeds City Council CEO, exclaimed on Linked In: “We’ve done it! Leeds will be the home of Channel 4’s National HQ following a decision by their Board today. Huge thanks go to all the many people involved in putting together what was a fantastic pitch. The council’s partnership with the Leeds city region LEP and colleagues, especially York and Bradford was vital.
“The clear voice of our diverse and energetic young people told the story of the opportunities provided by the youthful demographic of Leeds and Bradford. Indies like True North and our brilliant film agency Screen Yorkshire convincingly showcased our existing talent. And our creatives came together in an unprecedented show of unity to write a love letter to Channel 4 and committed to work together through the All in Leeds collective.
“The whole team was much more than the sum of our parts and we hit the ball out of the park. This can be our breakthrough moment nationally and internationally where we now have a catalyst to tell the new story of Leeds – an exciting, successful and vibrant city intent on enabling all our people to achieve their potential. Channel 4 – welcome to Leeds!”
Channel 4’s presence could create an economic impact of more than £1bn over the next decade
Charles Gurassa, Channel 4 Chair said: “I’m delighted that the Channel 4 Board has today unanimously agreed that Channel 4 will establish its new National HQ in Leeds and two new Creative Hubs in Bristol and Glasgow.
“We were very impressed by the high quality of all the pitches delivered by the shortlisted cities and I’d like to extend my thanks to all the many people involved. The Board reviewed and was satisfied that the selection process was carried out in a thorough and rigorous manner with the appropriate level of external assurance.
“We are very much looking forward to working with our new regional partners and more broadly with the production communities across the UK to further enhance our creative contribution nationwide.”
Leeds topped the shortlist of “exceptionally high quality” pitches with a compelling and ambitious strategy
Channel 4 said that all six cities taken forward for consideration as a National HQ or Creative Hub delivered exceptionally high quality pitches and all demonstrated that their cities would be excellent locations for Channel 4 and would be able to offer high levels of innovation, creativity, and support for the corporation and the wider creative industries.
The broadcaster added: “In this highly competitive field it was their view that Leeds was best able to deliver against Channel 4’s vision and objectives for a new National HQ. The Leeds City Region put forward a comprehensive, compelling and ambitious strategy to partner with Channel 4 and the wider sector to support growth in the production and creative industries, and to nurture new talent from diverse backgrounds – in the region and across the UK.”
Leeds is home to a thriving digital industry and a strong digital talent pool and this will help support Channel 4’s new Digital Creative Unit, which will be established in the National HQ to grow the Corporation’s impact across digital and social media platforms.
Leeds also demonstrated a passionate commitment to work with Channel 4 to bring diverse new talent into the industry, working in partnership with other organisations and educational establishments – and through harnessing the diversity of different communities across the wider West Yorkshire region, such as Bradford.
Mahon, Channel 4 Chief Executive, added: “Diversity and inclusion have always been at the heart of Channel 4’s mission and the launch of our 4 All the UK plan is the biggest and most exciting change in the organisation’s 36-year history – as we open up Channel 4 to people from across the UK and supercharge the impact we have in all parts of the country.
“We will be spending up to £250m more on programming produced in the Nations and Regions and to catalyse that spend I’m delighted to confirm that we will be establishing a new National HQ in Leeds and new Creative Hubs in Bristol and Glasgow.
“We undertook a rigorous process over the last seven months and the high calibre of all the pitches meant those were incredibly difficult decisions to make. However, I know that Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow will best deliver our objectives to grow the production sector across the UK, build the pipeline of creative talent outside London and support our increased investment in programming produced across the Nations and Regions.
“Leeds put forward a compelling and ambitious strategy for how they could work alongside Channel 4 to further build the strong independent production sector in the city and develop new diverse talent from across the region. Locating our National HQ in Leeds enables us to capitalise on a strong and fast-growing independent production sector in cities across the North of England – and also has the potential to unlock growth in the North East and East of the country, an area without a major presence from other national broadcasters.”
Reed Smith were external advisors to the Channel 4 process and Deloitte LLP provided support to provide an objective framework and data for use in Channel 4’s assessment of the cities based on good practice.
