8 November 2021

Netflix in the South West generates £132m for UK economy

The UK economy has enjoyed a boost of over £132 million over the last two years as a result of Netflix productions created in the South West of England, including Bridgerton, Persuasion, David Attenborough: Our Planet, Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet, Rebecca and The Last Bus. Many of these productions have used filming locations and facilities in the West of England, boosting its reputation for its strong creative sector.

More than 500 businesses across the South West have benefited directly from Netflix investment creating 1,000 jobs across the UK supply chain. Later in the year, Netflix will partner with Bristol’s Aardman Animations on a new programme to encourage emerging and diverse talent to consider a career in animation. The programme will also support the professional development of those already in the sector, and will include schools outreach, free animation courses and trainee places on Netflix Aardman productions. This is part of Grow Creative UK, Netflix’s flagship programme to support the careers and training of up to 1,000 people across the UK.

Dan Norris, West of England Mayor said:
“We’ve got some amazingly talented people here in the West of England and our facilities are top-notch. That’s why our reputation in the creative industries grows day by day. It’s something local people can be rightly proud of.

“It is good to see Netflix and other production companies investing in our fantastic region bringing high skilled jobs. Shows like Bridgerton, and a favourite of mine, David Attenborough: Our Planet, are watched and adored by viewers across the globe. They truly help put our area on the map. That’s good news for our region and for U.K. PLC.”

Anna Mallett, Netflix VP Physical Production for EMEA/UK:
“We’ve long known that the South West of England is a creative powerhouse. Its highly skilled and versatile workforce, sumptuous landscapes and state of the art facilities make it a natural home for Netflix productions: from agenda-setting natural history documentaries to the most talked-about drama.

“We’re committed to the South West for the long-term, and proud that the shows we’ve made over the last 2 years have contributed over £132 million to the UK economy, created over 1,000 jobs and generated opportunities for local communities.”

The UK is Netflix’s biggest production hub outside the United States, with a content budget of $1 billion in 2020. There are more than 60 shows in production including The Witcher and Bridgerton, and these have generated over 10,000 jobs for cast and crew.

Paula Newport, Aardman's Director of People & Culture:
"Supporting careers in animation for emerging and diverse talent has become a real focus at Aardman, and we are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Netflix to extend the reach of our efforts. Thanks to this partnership, we will be able to develop brand new outreach schemes for under 18s keen to explore a future in animation, as well as increase the impact of some of our existing initiatives, for example offering more trainee roles across our major productions and more bursary places on our Aardman Academy professional training courses. The range of opportunity is huge – from creative and production roles to technical fields like VFX to marketing and business functions – and we are so excited about finding and working with the next wave of talent."

To help ensure that the South West is able to take full advantage of the local production boom Netflix will also support and co-sponsor the Production Guild of Great Britain’s inaugural Bristol & South West committee to help drive forward the development of the region's High-End TV sector.

Video credit: Netflix/Marcus Laing

[Dramatic instrumental music plays in the background] The video shows different footage of productions made out of the South West including Our Planet, Rebecca, Bridgerton, Robin Robin.

Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator No.1 Royal Crescent "Featuring in a show, as watched, as influential as Bridgerton has been incredible, we've definitely seen an increase in visitors following other programme and films that Bath has featured in"

Monty Hill, Co-Founder, Eco Shoots "The kind of impact Netflix has had across the region has been massive really, from hotel bookings to restaurant reservations, through to crew bookings, and supply connections as well."

Harry Bret, Owner, Courtyard Café "We had all the cast and crew down for three to four days over a period of two months. They all came down, they all had coffees and teas, they hung out here, this was their sort of relax area"

Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator No.1 Royal Crescent "If we can get young people interested in Georgian history, in Bath as a city, in our museums, it makes the work that we do as a sector in the South West relevant. That's extraordinary".

Netflix Made in the South West

Showcasing some of the fantastic productions made out of the South West including Our Planet, Rebecca, Bridgerton, Robin Robin.

On Thursday 4 November Netflix celebrated their investment into our region with a ‘Netflix Made in the South West’ event, held at the historic Bath Assembly Rooms which were used as a location in Bridgerton. Guests included the Metro Mayor Dan Norris, our inward investment service Invest Bristol & Bath who supported Netflix with their initial investment into the region and who continue to work with them, production and post production houses, creative and cultural representatives and Bath businesses who had supported Netflix during filming in the city including for Season 1 of Bridgerton. With more shows in the pipeline we hope to welcome Netflix back to the region to celebrate once again.