The British Film Commission (BFC) has recently announced the West Midlands as the UK’s eighth official production hub, joining South-West England, North-West England, Yorkshire, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and London & South-East England. And with this UK-wide spread of world-beating locations, facilities, cast and crew, financial incentives and infrastructure of support, it’s no surprise that many big-budget productions and high-end TV (HETV) franchises return time and time again to film across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and make use of its award-winning VFX and post services.
Indeed, the UK regularly welcomes back popular returning studio-backed films, from Star Wars: Starfighter, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. Other returning franchises include How to Train Your Dragon, Narnia, The Batman sequel, Clayface, Highlander, Tomb Raider and Sonic the Hedgehog – and, of course, Bond and Mission: Impossible.
The same is true for returning HETV shows including The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power and House Of The Dragon (the latest season released in June 2026, with a fourth season already greenlit). The Harry Potter TV series has already been renewed for a second season in advance of its Christmas release, while other high-profile franchises returning to the UK include Rivals (which has just been renewed for a third season), Young Sherlock, Ted Lasso, Black Mirror and Slow Horses 6. Second seasons of Dept Q, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Star Wars: Ahsoka and Down Cemetery Road are all based in production hubs around the UK.
For returning producers, the UK’s roster of accessible, robust and competitive financial incentives are a large part of its offering.
“Our incentive system is incredibly dependable,” says Isla MacGillivray, partner and head of the Film, TV & Video Games Team at Saffery, a major UK-based accountancy and tax advisory firm. “That dependability of knowing the value to your budget, but also the process of reclaiming it, coupled with the fact we are significantly quicker than other jurisdictions, is attractive for overseas productions.”
The UK’s national incentives for film and HETV projects (the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, or AVEC) — including more recent, generous enhancements for lower budget features and VFX – remains a key draw, as do local top-up funds. But other factors also play an important role.
“We have hugely talented crews and experienced production executives that make the UK really appealing,” notes MacGillivray. “If you have a first series or part one of a potential franchise, it’s going to be appealing to come back because you know the crews, the execs you’re working with and the facilities and services.”
Studio space
That the UK is meeting production demand with an increased availability of studio and filming spaces, many supported by the BFC’s DCMS-funded Stage Space Support and Development initiative, is also an attractive proposition for returning franchises. New facilities include BBC Studiosworks operated Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham — a 46,000 sq ft facility that served as the primary production home for Steven Knight’s Netflix/BBC Peaky Blinders spin-off featureThe Immortal Man and now home to the Peaky Blinders sequel series.
Digbeth Loc. Studios joins a wave of studios developments across the nations and regions designed to meet a wide spectrum of production needs, from the expansion of Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire and Crown Works Studios in Sunderland to virtual production and screen innovation facility Studio Ulster in Belfast.
Kate Crowther, executive producer and director production company Bad Wolf, which has offices in Cardiff, London and West Hollywood, oversees a slate that includes global sci-fi hit Doctor Who, HBO/BBC drama Industry. They also produce the BBC’s The Other Bennett Sister, which returns later this year for a three-part Christmas run.
“A combination of factors including excellent studios, a wide range of locations all relatively close by, world-class crews, UK-based cast and talent, great post-production facilities and, of course, the tax incentives all keep bringing HETV productions to film in the UK,” notes Crowther. “It also helps that Europe is on the doorstep, so people can make the most of their downtime!”
As chief content officer at Northern Ireland Screen, and the executive who has seen the industry grow exponentially in the period between the production of HBO’s Game Of Thrones in Northern Ireland and the return of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Andrew Reid knows that success never relies on a single factor.
“It is the combination of a very competitive UK incentive environment, including our own NI incentives in addition to UK tax breaks, a highly experienced crew base, distinctive locations, strong studio infrastructure and a screen agency that understands the practical needs of production,” he says.
The country may be small but packs in a wide variety of filming locations that filmmakers need, and crews can easily travel between coastlines, mountains, forests and city streets in a single day, saving time and money. “We often refer to Northern Ireland as ‘the most compact 5,196 square miles of backlot in the world’,” says Reid.
“There is also a confidence effect,” he adds. “Once a major production has had a good experience in Northern Ireland, it creates credibility. The return of large-scale fantasy and HETV work is a strong endorsement of the sector’s ability to deliver at scale, not just once, but consistently over many years.”
It’s this confidence factor that continually brings countless franchises back to the UK. International producers know they can arrive in the UK with ambitious creative requirements and find a joined-up response: locations, crew, facilities, training support and production support working together. The returning large-scale projects have underpinned growth in the skilled crew base, studio capacity and facilities. And as the production landscape continues to evolve, the BFC and its partners continue to ensure the UK continues to meet and anticipate the changing needs of the global industry.
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