Annual figures released by Bristol Film Office show that film and TV production was worth an estimated £20.1 million to Bristol’s economy in the 2022-23 financial year.

The figures show that production levels have held strong in the city since the previous 12 month period (2021-22) when the economic impact of the sector was valued at £20.8 million, the highest figure in a decade. £20,134,750 inward investment was generated in 2022-23 by 220 recorded productions. 838 filming days took place on location assisted by the Film Office or at The Bottle Yard Studios. 502 licenses were issued by Bristol Film Office, permitting filming to take place on Council-owned streets, properties and green spaces.

Bristol Film Office has this week marked 20 years in operation.

Councillor Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Finance, Governance and Performance, said: “We are proud that Bristol is home to the largest studio hub for film and TV production in the West of England, the heart of a sector worth over £320 million to our local economy since 2003. Our city is one of the most competitive filming cities outside of London.

“Over the past 20 years Bristol Film Office has played a vital role in attracting and assisting high levels of filming on location in Bristol, generating over £2.1 million of income for the council. The latest annual figures demonstrate the continued value of the film and TV industry for our city, and the ongoing success of our filming facilitation services. We were proud to secure £12 million for TBY2’s expansion, strengthening our solar-powered Hollywood in Hengrove, delivering 1,000 new jobs by 2032.”

Senior Film Manager Laura Aviles (Bristol City Council): “It’s fantastic that inward investment generated by film and TV production held strong in Bristol at over £20 million last year, a similar value to 2021-22 which included the post-pandemic surge in filming. This is proof that Bristol is maintaining its competitive edge as a leading UK filming city, thanks to services provided by BristolFilm Office, expanded facilities at The Bottle Yard and our skilled local crew.

“As we mark 20 years of Bristol Film Office, it’s clear that the impact this service has had over two decades is incredibly far reaching for such a small team. From its early days assisting shows like Teachers and Skins, it has provided a bespoke service to productions that has been reliable and consistent whilst the city’s filming infrastructure has grown, through the creation of The Bottle Yard Studios to its expansion last year. Not only has Bristol Film Office facilitated filming worth more than £320 million to Bristol over two decades, it also played a central role to Bristol gaining UNESCO City of Film status in 2017. It rose to the challenge of supporting safe filming on the streets during the pandemic and has worked over and above to accommodate the higher numbers of crews we’ve welcomed into the city ever since. Its work is vital in attracting productions to Bristol, to spend money in our economy and create work for local crew, companies and facilities. I’m hugely proud of all that Bristol Film Office has achieved so far, and the team’s ongoing drive to grow Bristol’s profile even further, as the best UK filming city outside London.”

Produced annually by Bristol Film Office, the economic impact figures are compiled using data from film and TV productions active throughout the reporting period on location in the city with Film Office assistance and at the Council-owned Bottle Yard Studios. They are calculated using national average production spend figures compiled by Creative England with contribution from all national Film Offices’ data.

Major recent titles filmed with assistance from Bristol Film Office included the upcoming Doctor Who 60th Anniversary special episodes, series two of The Lazarus Project, upcoming family drama Black Cake, upcoming Arthurian drama The Winter King as well as Truelove, season four of Sex Education, season three of Bristol-set detective thriller Before We Die, The Sixth Commandment and series three of apocalyptic drama War of the Worlds