Newcastle business village, Hoults Yard in Byker, has plans to establish itself as an important base for film and TV companies after recent successes with shoots including Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, a star-studded UK/German co-production and Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies’ latest BBC show.
Over the past few months, the location has played a vital background role in the production of Boyle’s huge Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer-starring zombie sequel; the British/German film starring Timothy Spall, Jack Whitehall and Jennifer Saunders and has also been the location for fellow North Easterner Davies’ new vehicle The Big Idea Works.
Hoults Yard’s involvement in the movie world started when the production company behind 28 Years Later, the third instalment of the cult sci-fi horror franchise directed by Oscar-winning Boyle, who also directed the opening of show at Factory International’s Aviva Studios, was looking for a base while shooting in Northumberland and the wider North East.
Laura Goldston, general manager at HyHubs, which owns and runs Hoults Yard, explained: “The 28 Years Later production company took over several units at the Yard for costumes, set design and make up. They eventually had 12 units over a seven-month period and also used some of our outdoor spaces for spraying costumes.
“Extras for the film met at the Yard and it wasn’t unusual to see some of the film’s stars in our eateries on the Yard. Jodie Comer and Danny Boyle were both spotted in Cake Stories café.”
28 Years Later, produced by DNA Films, is due to be released in June this year. The film is set 28 years after a virus escaped a medical research lab, decimating humanity. Survivors have found ways to exist amid the infection with one group living on a small island connected to the mainland via a single, heavily-defended causeway – Holy Island.
Goldston added: “We loved hosting the production company and I think they were impressed by the flexibility of our spaces, and the willingness of our brilliant team to react quickly to their needs in what is a fast-paced and pressurised environment.”
Just as the Yard’s involvement in 28 Years Later was coming to an end, the company behind British/German co-production Night and Day, an adaptation of a Virginia Woolf novel, also chose Hoults Yard as a base.
Filming started on Night and Day late last year with locations including the Lit and Phil in Newcastle, Ryhope Engine Museum, Tanfield Railway and Beamish Museum. The film’s ensemble cast includes Haley Bennett, Lily Allen and Sally Phillips as well as Spall, Saunders and Whitehall. The film’s production company, Asterik Films, took over three spaces on the Yard over a six-week period. Night and Day is set at the turn of the 20th century and concerns a female astronomer trying to succeed while battling the patriarchal attitudes of the day.
Goldston explained: “The production company behind the film took over most of our Boiler House space for its costume department and actors would come to the Yard to get ready for that day’s shoot.”
Meanwhile, a quiet, under-developed area of the Yard has been transformed into a set for Sara Davies’ new 15-episode BBC show The Big Idea Works – think Dragons Den meets The Repair Shop. For the show creative thinkers pitch their ideas and share the inspiration behind them while a team of expert engineers, makers and manufacturers turn the idea into a reality and show a prototype to the budding entrepreneur.
Goldston said: “The set is in an area of the Yard which has hardly been touched since it was part of the Maling Pottery factory, generations ago. It was a very raw industrial space that the production company, Twenty Six 03, thought was perfect for their needs.
“As well as providing the set, the Yard is used in quite a few background shots. The series was shot over a nine-week period and it’s been great to see that it’s now airing on BBC1.”
Charlie Hoult, MD at HyHubs, added: “We’ve been thrilled to host the film and TV companies on the Yard and we’re now actively looking to attract others to our flexible spaces. We’re a one-stop shop for the industry – we have such a variety of units and spaces within a compact area – and bags of parking. But just as importantly, we are now tried and tested – we understand the often complex needs and hectic pace of TV and film production and we have the flexibility and focus to respond quickly, efficiently and without any fuss.
“And of course, we’re handily placed both for the Newcastle metropolis and beautiful Northumberland which is now being recognised as an ideal TV and film location.”
Alison Gwynn, chief executive at North East Screen, the region’s screen agency which is leading the resurgence of film and TV in the North East, said: “We’re delighted that Hoults Yard has joined the growing list of venues that are ready and willing to support our productions filming in the region.
“It’s a great space – not just for filming but to house key departments such as make-up and costumes. The Hoults Yard team understands the pressurised, demanding nature of filming and has shown the flexibility and willingness to adapt and react quickly which is so important to under-pressure teams working hard to deliver on time and on budget. We’re dedicated to making the North East a destination for global film and TV production, and I hope other production companies can see the benefit of working with the Yard on future projects.”
