Dragonfly, part of Banijay UK, is setting up a northern office to produce a further 12 episodes (totalling two series) commission of the BAFTA award-winning observational documentary Ambulance and is working in partnership with the BBC to find and develop the next generation of documentary talent and ideas from the region.
Series seven, which returns to BBC One this year, will follow crews at the North West Ambulance Service, which receives over 4,000 emergency calls a day and dispatches 400 ambulances, 40 rapid response vehicles and three air ambulances. The series, filmed earlier this year, will highlight the crucial work the Ambulance service provided during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Joining Banijay UK stable mate Workerbee in the Tower 12 building in Manchester, the new permanent regional office, Dragonfly North, will be a base for the Ambulance production team which will be overseen by Executive Producer Peter Wallis-Tayler. Additional NW roles, including a recently recruited Senior Development Producer, will work alongside them.
In partnership with the BBC, Dragonfly have recruited two trainee Film Editors for Ambulance (S8). The two ten-week training schemes will teach the craft of editing and storytelling, working alongside an experienced film editor, whilst cutting at a post-production houses in Manchester and central London.
The production company, with the support of the BBC, has also taken on one north west based Senior Producer and one diverse Senior Producer as part of a training scheme which will provide them with on-the-job training across pre and post-production.
Both the trainee Film Editors and Series Producer roles will be supported by the Ambulance Executive Producers and BBC Commissioning Editors.
Richard Bond, Managing Director of Dragonfly Film and TV, said: “I very much see this as a high end obs doc unit in the North. There’s such an impressive pool of local talent, it’s the perfect base for Ambulance, and I’m hugely excited by the prospect of developing new stories and voices from the region.”
Beejal Patel, BBC Commissioning Editor, says: “Ambulance has a fantastic track record of bringing stories from across the UK to the screen and developing production talent. I’m delighted that it is returning for a further two series and I’m looking forward to working with the team at Dragonfly North to build on its success and use this as a real opportunity to support and grow talent and skills in the North of England.”
The 12 episode commission will span across two new series. Ambulance was commissioned by BBC Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Beejal Patel. The executive producers for Dragonfly are Peter Wallis-Tayler and Simon Ford.
Jon Creamer
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