Lancashire is to get its own TV and film hub in an ambitious new project.

The University of Central Lancashire has announced a partnership with local industry to establish a £750,000 screen production hub in Blackburn with Darwen.

Called The Blackburn with Darwen Screen Strategy, it’s aimed at training the next generation of television and film production staff to meet industry demands. It comes as the UK film industry is poised for significant growth, with 2025 expected to be a boom year thanks to major investments including Disney’s recent announcement of a $5 billion investment in UK and Europe film production.

“With the demand for content growing, there aren’t enough people with the relevant production skills to keep up”, said Paresh Parmar, Associate Dean for the School of Arts and Media at the University of Central Lancashire. “This programme not only provides local people with technical skills but also prepares students for the real-world challenges they’ll face, especially in a freelance-driven industry, getting them ready to connect to the wider industry.”

At the Pinewood Futures Festival, University of Central Lancashire and Blackburn College students, as members of the Futures in Film (FIF) team, shared their expertise with over 4,000 students. | UCLan

placeholder image — At the Pinewood Futures Festival, University of Central Lancashire and Blackburn College students, as members of the Futures in Film (FIF) team, shared their expertise with over 4,000 students. | UCLan

The programme will initially focus on Blackburn, supported by the University of Central Lancashire’s facilities in Preston, and will cover school-age education, further education, and higher education sectors.

It will create a screen production talent and skills hub, known as the Step Up Hub, aimed at establishing a thriving screen production cluster in Blackburn with Darwen. The Blackburn with Darwen Youth Zone will introduce under-16s to careers in the media industry, while Blackburn College and University of Central Lancashire students will collaborate on joint projects, supported by work placements at Film Buddy and Pixeleyed Pictures.

Additionally, MR Helix, which has laid the groundwork for Futures in Film —a registered CIC—will provide emerging talent in Lancashire with access and placements at Pinewood Studios. MR Helix’s expertise and prototypes have been successfully tested and showcased on productions such as Star Wars: Rogue One, the Oscar winner The Favourite, BBC’s Luther, and Wolf Hall.

“Incredible opportunity”

Councillor Phil Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “We want to inspire our youngsters – open their eyes to the potential for careers in the local, film and HETV industry and equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. We look forward to seeing this scheme develop - building on the success we saw with the pilot project. We want to inspire our youngsters – open their eyes to the potential for careers in the local, film and HETV industry and equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. "

Richard McKenny, Curriculum Manager for Film and Television Production at Blackburn College, added: “This is an incredible opportunity and a chance to shine a spotlight on the amazingly talented young people that our county produces. It opens the door to higher levels of training that will give them industry-leading skills will put them leaps and bounds ahead of their competition while providing them with the opportunities to retain talent in the town.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the various strands of the programme can contact the School of Arts and Media at the University of Central Lancashire.