Partner Article

Beaker’s back

The region’s film and TV industry has been boosted by the news that that the BBC is to make a second series of the hit children’s programme Tracy Beaker in the North East.

Devised by multi-award winning children’s author Jacqueline Wilson and the drama team at CBBC, filming of series two will take place between July and October this year.

Regional screen agency Northern Film & Media has welcomed the news.

NFM chief executive Tom Harvey said: “It’s absolutely fantastic that following the successful, 13-part first series the team behind Tracy Beaker have opted to return to the North East.”

“We are genuinely thrilled that Tracy Beaker is coming back for a second series and we look forward to working with the BBC to really embed the show in the North East.”

The series, which will employ 38 local crew and include 65 offline post production days in the region and will continue following Tracy’s life at the Dumping Ground as a carer and young adult played by Dani Harmer.

Much of the filming will take place at a Victorian Gothic mansion in Jesmond, Newcastle, formerly La Sagesse private school.

The first series was exclusively filmed and based in the North East, cementing the BBC’s commitment to boosting out of London Network programme spend to 50% by 2016.

Beaker’s Back follows a pedigree of successful children’s dramas from the North East including Byker Grove and the BAFTA award-winning The Revenge Files Of Alistair Fury.

Jacqueline Wilson is one of this country’s most prolific and respected children’s authors. She has sold millions of books, her total stands at over 20 million in the UK alone.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .