New deal between Welsh Gov and production company will ensure high-end TV dramas for four years

A NEW deal between the Welsh Government and award-winning Cardiff-based production company Bad Wolf will ensure a slate of high-end TV dramas will be made in Wales over the next four years.

The £4m deal, which was brokered by Creative Wales, the Welsh Government agency charged with supporting and growing Wales’ creative industries, will enable Bad Wolf to consolidate its position and continue to grow in Wales. Bad Wolf will maintain its principal base at Wolf Studios Wales in Cardiff and build on the global success it has achieved with huge returning hit shows such as Doctor Who, Industry, I Hate Suzie, The Winter King, His Dark Materials and A Discovery of Witches.

It will ensure that at least four Bad Wolf productions are shot and produced in Wales in the period up to March 2027, providing continuity to Wales’ screen industry and ensuring longer-term security for crews and supply chain companies operating in Wales.

The deal is projected to deliver a return on investment of 15:1 helping to drive further growth in Wales’ thriving TV industry and committing Bad Wolf to a minimum Welsh spend of £60m over the four-year period. It will also provide a minimum of 42 meaningful paid trainee placements on high-end productions.

Bad Wolf will continue to prioritise and commit to working with Welsh-based talent during the four years, with many actors, directors and writers already engaged across several projects.

Deputy Minister, Dawn Bowden visited a shoot for the latest Bad Wolf production ‘Dope Girls’, and met cast, crew and trainees working on the show.

Dope Girls is a major new six-part drama commissioned by the BBC and produced by Bad Wolf in association with Sony Pictures Television. It has been created and written by multi-award-winning writer Polly Stenham (That Face, Julie, Neon Demon) and Alex Warren (Eleanor) and is inspired by a forgotten time in history when, after the losses of World War One, women were running the clubs of Soho.

The Deputy Minister said: “This four-year deal is excellent news for the creative sector in Wales. The high numbers of Welsh crew and supply chain companies working on the productions will secure invaluable production credits which will only strengthen Wales’ reputation as a first-class filming location with talented and skilled crew able to service high-end production.

“The industry is a stand out success with global reach that is helping young people plan ambitious futures in Wales. That goal is at heart of our Economic Mission and the creative sector is proving what’s possible thanks to a sustained partnership with the Welsh Government.”

Jane Tranter, CEO and co-founder of Bad Wolf said: “The continued support from Welsh Government to the creative industries in Wales has been invaluable to the growth of TV production here. When we first located Doctor Who in Wales almost 20 years ago, we could have hardly dared to hope that two decades later we would see such a diverse slate of TV drama being made by a plethora of different companies. Bad Wolf is honoured to be part of an energetic and vibrant industry that we are sure will continue to bring investment and employment to Wales for many years to come.”

The funding will ensure increased opportunities for crews with progression and up-skilling taking place across several productions. A key focus of the funding is a trainee programme across the 4-year period to include at least 42 paid trainee placements and a minimum of 1 Criw Cymru apprentice on each production.

25 work shadowing placements will also be provided as well as a new Wolf Cub initiative focused on increasing diversity and industry accessibility. The productions will also provide a continued platform for Screen Alliance Wales’ (SAW) outreach and practical workshops, with the non-profit organisation confirming recently that it had reached over 50,000 individuals since 2018.