“By 2035, the UK will be recognised as the best place in the world to create, invest in and grow creative businesses,” Minister Ian Murray told the British Screen Forum in a frank keynote about the screen industry’s next decade. For MediaCityUK in Salford, studios in West Yorkshire and fast‑rising outfits across the North East, the message was plain: aim higher, and expect Whitehall to back it.

Murray acknowledged the present headwinds-energy costs, demand swings and a tight finance market-but argued government’s job is to set steadier ground. The plan on the table includes a £75m Screen Growth Package and £30m for games, intended to strengthen independent UK content, draw international spend and push British stories to global audiences.

Place‑based growth ran through the speech. A £150m Creative Places Growth Fund and a further £100m for Creative Industries Clusters put money into local strengths rather than a single postcode. That matters for Northern producers who want to scale without relocating; think Salford crew bases, West Yorkshire post and VFX, and new‑build capacity in the North East. The ask from ministers was clear: bring forward credible bids with real jobs and training attached.

On regulation, he backed public service media while stressing reform. The BBC Charter Review will be handled “with seriousness, care and diligence,” he said, to keep the corporation independent, trusted and accountable. Delivery of the Media Act continues, and government supports Ofcom’s Transmission Critical recommendations so high‑quality public service content is easy to find on smart TVs and major video‑sharing platforms on fair terms for all parties.

Discoverability matters because, as Murray argued, a tide of content can drown out the shared national moments that bind audiences together. Ensuring prominence for trusted news and UK‑originated programmes isn’t nostalgia; it is about standards and reliability across the whole broadcast and streaming mix-something that resonates strongly in regions too often sidelined by algorithms.

Finance and ownership were another priority. Government will expand support through the British Business Bank, convene a working group on IP‑backed lending and create a single front door for investment guidance. The aim is to stop producers-many of them in our patch-having to risk their homes to cash‑flow a commission, a reality Murray said producers have raised with him directly.

Skills and job quality were threaded through. Investment is flowing into the National Film and Television School, BFI Academy and the creative careers service, with a Creative Freelance Champion to be appointed to the Creative Industries Council. Alongside the Good Work Review action plan and support for the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, the goal is straightforward: better conditions, clearer standards and sustainable careers, especially for the freelance backbone of the sector.

On technology, ministers want the UK to lead in virtual production and real‑time tools by supporting UKRI’s Creative Industries Clusters and CoSTAR’s National R&D Lab. “I want to make Crea‑tech as important as FinTech,” Murray said. For Northern universities and studio operators, that’s a cue to link research, soundstages and SMEs so innovation doesn’t stop at the M62.

The subtext was pragmatic. Choice is good for viewers and innovation, but the economics are tight and the risk is rising. Government can’t fix every problem, Murray conceded, yet it can provide certainty and a path for investment. For teams in Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle and Sunderland, the opportunity now is to pair strong creative slates with shovel‑ready infrastructure and skills proposals as funding rounds open.

This was not a London speech dropped on the regions-it was a call to use national levers for local growth. If the promised money and regulatory changes land as described, the North is well placed to turn it into jobs, exports and cultural clout. The Northern Ledger will keep asking whether those benefits reach beyond the M25, but for today, the invite is on the table.