Prime Minister and Chancellor visit the set of Emmerdale
As part of a tour of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, the Prime Minister David Cameron and Exchequer George Osborne visited the set of ITV’s Emmerdale.
Popping into the Woolpack Pub on-set, Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne met trainees who are gaining hands-on experience on the show as part of a scheme using Government funding accessed via the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot and supported by Creative Skillset.
The visit also included a behind the scenes tour of the long-running soap which makes 312 episodes a year making it the UK’s highest volume drama.
The set visit came after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had earlier set out in speeches, a Long-Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, within which the contribution of the creative industries was cited as a key driver of economic growth locally.
Regional screen agency, Screen Yorkshire, has seen 24 different productions contracted in the region in the last two years alone through its Yorkshire Content Fund.
The Chancellor said:
Yorkshire is fast becoming a centre for film and television production and is home to the fastest growing digital sector outside London. Our long-term economic plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire backs the growth of the creative industries where it already employs over 157,000 people.
Emmerdale is a great example of this, supporting over 300 jobs and adding real value to the local economy. It has become part of the fabric of British daily life for over 7 million viewers, and it was a pleasure to meet the cast and crew.