Robson Green narrates North East’s latest starring role
BBC campaign celebrates regional identity alongside raft of new commissions and productions
Robson Green has voiced a new BBC film projected onto Alnwick Castle as part of a renewed push to showcase and grow the North East’s screen industry.
The actor and presenter narrates the short film, created for the BBC’s Made Of Here campaign, which celebrates the places, people and programmes shaped by the regions.
Projected onto the castle and captured using drone footage, the film references landmarks including the Tyne and Northumberland coast alongside shows such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Byker Grove, Smoggie Queens and Robson’s own Weekend Escapes.
The announcement comes off the back of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland and amid a fresh wave of BBC-backed productions being filmed across the North East. It also follows the extension of the broadcaster’s partnership with the region through the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP), confirmed earlier this year.
At the centre of the latest developments is The Northumbria Mysteries, the BBC’s new Northumberland-set daytime drama starring Robson as ex-convict and gambler Joe Ruby. Life on Mars and Call the Midwife actor Liz White co-stars as Oxford-educated DI Rose O’Connell.
Other cast members include Simon Callow, Kevin Whately, Gurjeet Singh and Chris Gascoyne.
Filming is taking place at locations across the county including Brinkburn Priory, Alnmouth, Dunstanburgh Castle, Bamburgh, Rothbury and Beadnell.
The BBC also announced a new North East comedy short, Sarnies, written by and starring Smoggie Queens actor Elijah Young and produced by Candle & Bell. It’s the second commission for the Gateshead-based production company following writer Alison Carr’s Doppelgänger for the BBC’s Long Story Short series.
Set in a sandwich shop in Newcastle’s Bigg Market, Sarnies follows aspiring manager Sharon as she tries to keep staff and a new recruit out of trouble.
The commission adds to a growing slate of productions being made in the region, including a new adaptation of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, filmed around Hartlepool and Sunderland; CBBC series The Lady Grace Mysteries; and the second series of Middlesbrough-shot comedy Smoggie Queens, which recently returned to BBC iPlayer.
A mural celebrating the five central Smoggie Queens characters was unveiled in Middlesbrough town centre this week. Five metres by five metres, the mural is located on a wall at the Cleveland Centre on Grange Road in Middlesbrough’s shopping area.
Meanwhile Robson is also making a new series for the Corporation - literally in his own back yard. Growing Home with Robson Green will be a new gardening series shot at his 350-year-old cottage on the banks of the Tyne. (You’ve got to think they toyed with the idea of Growing Home with Robson Greenfingers?)
Robson said: “The North East is rich in stories and in the people who tell them best. Seeing some of our most loved programmes, places and distinct identity projected onto Alnwick Castle and set against the Northumberland night sky, has been a real joy. I’m incredibly proud to be from here and it’s definitely a place of straight talkers and hard grafters.
“The programmes featured in the film, alongside my new series The Northumbria Mysteries and Growing Home, are not only made in the North East - they are made of it and reflect the character, voice and spirit of this special place.”
The BBC says its activity contributed more than £133 million to the North East economy in 2024/25, supporting more than 2,300 jobs, while accounting for 27% of the region’s audiovisual sector activity.
Helen Munson, BBC commissioning editor daytime and early peak said: “I’m proud to be working with Gateshead based production company Signpost Entertainment to bring Growing Home with Robson Green to audiences across the UK.
“Filmed and made here in the North East in Robson’s actual garden (thanks Robson!) it will make even the least green fingered of us want to get outdoors and make the most of whatever outside space we have.
“I’m also incredibly excited about our new casting announcements for The Northumbria Mysteries which shows the scale and ambition of our new drama filming here in the region over the summer. The passion and skills being poured into these productions by local talent demonstrates that this is a region with ambition, and it feels like we are only just getting started.”
The agreement between the BBC and North East Screen Industry Partnership (NESIP) is backed by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, and delivered by North East Screen.
North East Screen chief executive Alison Gwynn said: “The North East has always been full of creativity, resilience and brilliant storytelling. Having the BBC behind us means more of our stories reaching global audiences which means more local jobs, more training pathways, and more chances for people from every corner of our region to be part of a thriving screen industry - Smoggie Queens is a great example of that working really well - from an award-winning writer and performers and heads of department to opening up more entry level pathways.
“The renewed MOU commitment from BBC recognises our region’s strength and positions us as a key player in the UK’s future screen landscape. The extension shows the BBC believes in the North East, as a welcoming home to major productions thanks to our stunning world-class locations, crew and facilities.”
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I’ve always been clear I want our creative talents to have the success they deserve in the region, without needing to head off to the capital. That’s why I’m putting creative jobs at the heart of my plans for growth.
“We’re already seeing production ramp up in the North East, creating more opportunities for the amazing talent we have in the region. And earlier this year we announced record funding to boost creative skills and build the region’s first film studio to sustain that growth.
“This is about putting our region on the map as a production hub. The BBC clearly recognises what we have to offer, and I want more North East stories getting the screen time they deserve, being told by North East creatives.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This partnership with the BBC has played a hugely important role in supporting our ambition to establish our region as a growing centre for the creative and digital industries.
“The extension will develop even more opportunities to showcase our incredible locations and outstanding local talent, while building on our reputation as a leading destination for TV and film-making.
“On top of our investment in first-class facilities at Hartlepool’s Northern Studios, it will also further support the development of local skills, inspire greater ambition, and help local people see that they can build a successful career in TV and film right here in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”
A selection of North East-made programmes have been gathered together on BBC iPlayer.