Dragon’s Den star fronts new series made in Newcastle
The Big Idea Works, with Sara Davies, had a preview screening at the Tyneside Cinema
This could really fly, I’m thinking, settling back in my seat at the Tyneside Cinema to watch the first of 16 episodes of a new ‘made in the North East’ series for BBC TV.
And indeed it does, whizzing through the air like a squidgy bullet and perforating a sheet of paper at the end of the room. But where exactly is the market for the marshmallow accelerator?
This must be among the delights to come. In episode one of The Big Idea Works, two rookie inventors – a woman for whom birds’ table manners leave much to be desired and another who in lockdown wanted spa conditions in her bathroom – pitch their ideas to Sara Davies.
Sara’s the North East lass who invented a bespoke envelope-making machine while studying at York University and went on to become a renowned entrepreneur, honoured not only with an MBE but a seat in the Dragon’s Den.
Widely acknowledged as a whizz at biz, she has the demeanour of one who can still breathe fire should the need arise.
But on the evidence of this new role fronting The Big Idea Works, she’s also a warm and empathetic listener and an infectious enthusiast.
In Dragon’s Den, the hopefuls usually bring in a fully fledged product. Here it’s the idea they offer to Sara and her team of nifty-fingered makers with expertise in electronics, robotics and other disciplines.
Having listened, they go off and produce a prototype, just as Sara’s engineer dad, who was in the Tyneside audience, did with the envelope maker that went on to sell in big numbers.
In episode one of the series, the two women – the spa lady accompanied by her Canadian husband who she met on the internet – were thrilled at the results and so was I.
If these products ever appear in the shops, it’s job done. Although as Sara pointed out, a great idea and a workable prototype doesn’t always equate to commercial success. There are costs and the figures have to add up.
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Someone’s big idea resulted in this new programme made by Gateshead-based production company Twenty Six 03 which relocated from Brighton to the North East.
Alison Gwynn, chief executive of North East Screen, spoke of her ambition to develop the screen industry across the North East and create a thriving eco-system, meaning careers could be sustained here.
“This is a real celebration of a show made by a production company based in Gateshead and using talent based in the region,” she said.
“It’s a really brilliant example of the power of our region when we get together and how, given the opportunity, we can make big things happen.”
Twenty Six 03 is run by Duncan Gray, who founded the company in 2015, and chief executive Antonia Hurford Jones. Both have long experience of programme making and both were on hand to big up the North East and this latest programme.
TRAILER: View The Big Idea Works trailer on the BBC website
Duncan Gray, brought up in Aberdeen although you wouldn’t guess from the accent, said he brought the company to the region because he was tired of the South East and wanted to start a new chapter in his life.
“I’m a northerner, I like the North East coast and the people here are amazing. They’re kind and helpful.”
He namechecked several of those who had helped to make The Big Idea Works, including some who were getting a first real taste of the industry.
Antonia Hurford Jones spoke of pitching the idea to Sara – she’d had her “Dragon’s face” on at first, before warming to the project – and also to Helen Munson, the only BBC commissioning editor based in the North East.
It hadn’t been a pushover but with the help of North East Screen the wheels were set in motion.
“We’re a public service and we need to be representative of the whole country,” said Helen Munson.
“We need people from their own areas making programmes about those areas.”
While The Good Idea Works was “a lovely series”, everyone would now be looking to see how it performed.
She likened it to The Repair Shop, another lovely and successful programme which wasn’t obviously set anywhere.
That’s true. Perhaps it’s a step up for the North East to be home to a series that could have been made anywhere, rather than being part celebration of its landscapes and locations.
All the questions were answered… including the one that had been mildly bugging me.
“Where can I buy a marshmallow gun?” asked a young boy in the audience excitedly.
That evidence of a marketplace would be music to someone’s ears.
The Big Idea Works begins on Monday, February 3 at 2pm – but you can also find it on BBC iPlayer.