Before the dissolution of Parliament, the Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dame Caroline Dineage, published a letter to the Secretary of State outlining work that the Committee has done and what could be taken up by a new Committee in the next Parliament.

In particular, she has highlighted the work done by the Committee in its Inquiry on British Film and High-End Television – launched last year – which came to an abrupt end as a result of the calling of the general election.

As Dame Caroline explains, the Inquiry was launched to address the challenges facing an industry where, after an initial surge post-Covid, investment “fell dramatically last year leaving studios empty, crews out of work and cinemas questioning how to programmes their screens”. She writes that some of these challenges can be mitigated if the UK had a “stronger domestic, independent sector and was less reliant on inward production” and calls for ‘further investigation’ in this area. She also points to the Committee’s recommendation for the independent film tax credit (introduced this year, and commented upon here) as an example of some of the positive work the Committee was able to achieve.

Concerns have been raised about the status of this important and wide-ranging work now that the Committee in its previous form ceases to exist. It will be for the next iteration of the Committee, whatever its composition, to determine whether, and if so how, to continue the work of Dame Caroline and others, but she is clear that she hopes that that “the next government will continue to champion and support all facts of our screen industries. Given the huge value the film and HETV [High-End Television] contributes, and the deep questions that remain about its resilience, we strongly urge our successor Committee to revisit the evidence we have received and continue scrutiny of this vital industry”.

The Committee’s oral and written evidence for its Inquiry into British Film and High-End Television is available on its website here, and the letter from the Chair can be read in full here.