The second series of ITV’s hit comedy series G’wed is the latest project to receive investment from the Liverpool City Region Production Fund via Liverpool City Council’s Film Office.
Written by Danny Kenny and produced by Golden Path Productions, G’wed has become ITVX’s biggest comedy since Changing Ends after being streamed over six million times, as well as ITV2’s most popular show after Love Island.
Filming wrapped last week after production took place in Wirral and Liverpool across August following investment from the Film Office, via the LCR Production Fund. The fund, which was launched by Mayor Steve Rotheram, totals £3m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
The fund has now invested in 10 high-end TV dramas including This City Is Ours, Time series 1 and 2 and The Responder.
Across the course of the five-week shoot, the G’wed production also supported six trainees from the Film Office’s skills initiative Action!
The trainees worked across the assistant directors, costume, props, locations, make-up and sound departments while on placement.
Action! has been made possible through £2.3m of BFI National Lottery funding which was awarded to Screen Alliance North, a new skills cluster partnership delivered by Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester and Screen Yorkshire.
The partnership aims to make the screen sector more accessible and to help build a thriving and skilled workforce across the North of England.
Director of Liverpool Film Office, Lynn Saunders, said: “We’re hugely proud of this latest investment. G’wed proved to be a hit with audiences far and wide following its release earlier this year.
“This series was based in Wirral, which is proving to be a bustling production hub and it’s great that we are able to work together with our Wirral Council colleagues to make filming across the borough possible.
“We’re excited to be on board with the team who have provided such great opportunity for not only local talent but also local crew and businesses.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “When I launched the LCR Production Fund, I wanted to help establish the Liverpool City Region as the ‘Hollywood of the North.’ We’ve already begun to see that pay off, supporting a number of award-winning productions.
“This investment isn’t just about making great TV, though G’wed has clearly been a hit, it’s about creating opportunities for local people, supporting our economy, and showing the world what our region can do. I’m really proud to see how our funding is helping to nurture the next generation of talent and put our region at the heart of the UK’s creative industry.”
