Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee — hearing of 11 November 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

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Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

11 November 2026

Contents updated at 06:45

First witness panel of the Committee’s follow-up inquiry into British film and high-end television, with representatives from the British Screen Forum, Synchronicity Films and the BFI.

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First panel — British film and high-end television follow-up

16:38

Opening statements

16:38

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP — opening remarks

16:38

State of the UK film and high-end TV sector

17:24

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on the current state of the UK film and high-end TV sector

17:24

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on unaccepted recommendations from the Committee’s report

21:55

Question of Intervenant 9 on National Lottery funding and risks to current BFI model

22:40

Question of Intervenant 9 on projects hardest to finance beyond public funding

26:57

Fiscal incentives, tax credits and international competition

30:36

Question of Dr Rupa Huq MP on independent film tax credit and international tax competition

30:36

Question of Nigel Huddleston MP on whether tax incentives are truly essential

37:09

Question of Mr Bayo Alaba MP on impact assessments and optimising tax reliefs

38:36

AI, copyright and protection of creators’ rights

44:01

Question of Liz Jarvis MP on AI, performers’ rights and IP protection

44:01

Follow-up question of Liz Jarvis MP on AI’s impact on production jobs and skills

47:51

Freelancers and workforce conditions in film and high-end TV

49:13

Question of Intervenant 23 on priorities for the new Freelance Champions

49:13

Question of Intervenant 23 on protecting freelancers if UK becomes less competitive

54:37

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on abuse, safeguarding and culture change for freelancers

56:03

Closing remarks and recommendations from first panel

01:01:56

Closing remarks of Harriet Finney (BFI) on competitiveness, soft power and Lottery funding

01:01:56

Closing remarks of Claire Mundell (Synchronicity Films) on BBC, regions and terms of trade

01:03:29

Closing remarks of Pete Johnson (British Screen Forum) on ecosystem balance and targeted investment

01:04:59

Intervenant 7 — concluding remarks on investment and private equity for creative industries

01:06:32

Second panel — Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Online Safety

01:09:45

Current media controversies and safeguarding culture

01:09:45

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on BBC US court case and Government stance

01:09:45

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on media abuse scandals, culture change and NDAs

01:11:24

Government assessment of film and high-end TV sector

01:13:54

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on overall health of film and high-end TV sector

01:13:54

Relationship with EU programmes: Creative Europe and Agora EU

01:15:12

Question of Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on Creative Europe and potential UK role in Agora EU

01:15:12

National Lottery funding, screen sector support and regional growth

01:17:44

Question of Liz Jarvis MP on National Lottery review and screen growth package

01:17:44

Domestic production, public service broadcasters and access to finance

01:20:42

Question of Alison Hume MP on evidence of recovery in domestic commissioning and access to finance

01:20:42

Question of Alison Hume MP on extending AVEC relief to £1–3 million-per-hour TV dramas

01:23:55

Question of Alison Hume MP on preventing inward investment from crowding out domestic commissioning

01:28:40

Question of the Chair on ministerial advocacy for £1–3 million TV tax credits with the Treasury

01:33:01

Current media controversies and safeguarding culture (cont.)

01:34:17

Question of Nigel Huddleston MP on BBC impartiality and the Trump lawsuit in the Charter review

01:34:17

Screen sector tax incentives, distribution and exhibition

01:36:37

Question of Nigel Huddleston MP on flexibility of audio-visual tax credits and VFX competitiveness

01:36:37

Question of Nigel Huddleston MP on support for distribution, marketing and exhibition

01:38:48

Freelancers, apprenticeships and data on skills

01:41:56

Question of Intervenant 23 on impact and timetable for freelance champions

01:41:56

Question of Intervenant 23 on apprenticeships and the Growth and Skills Levy for freelancers

01:43:44

Question of Intervenant 23 and other members on responsibility for freelancer data collection

01:45:40

Artificial intelligence, creative industries industrial strategy and access to finance

01:49:51

Question of Dr Rupa Huq MP on AI job risks, training and engagement with creative unions

01:49:51

Question of Dr Rupa Huq MP on prominence of creative industries in the industrial strategy and British Business Bank support

01:51:40

Question of Dr Rupa Huq MP on AI replicas, deepfakes and gaps in copyright protection

01:53:34

Domestic production, public service broadcasters and access to finance (cont.)

01:56:03

Question of Alison Hume MP on helping indies retain and exploit UK-originated IP in streamer cost-plus deals

01:56:03

Question of Alison Hume MP on alternatives to a streamer levy to support culturally distinct UK content

01:58:12

Question of Alison Hume MP on targeted funds for children’s and regional production

01:59:55

Question of the Chair on BBC as skills incubator and potential streamer levy support in Charter review

02:00:43

Question of Gill MP on impact of PSB cuts on regional commissioning and creative clusters

02:02:24

Question of Gill MP on disproportionate risks from PSB cuts to less-established regions

02:05:07

Question of Gill MP on Creative Places Growth Fund and UK-wide support beyond mayoral areas

02:07:13

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Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

11 November 2026

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Wed, 11 Nov 2026 Actual start 04:35 House of Commons

Follow its sittings

16:38 - 17:34

Speaker 1

Order.

Welcome to this meeting of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. Today, we are holding a follow-up session on our inquiry on British film and high-end TV, which we published in April 2025. And on our first panel today, we have Pete Johnson, who's the Chief Executive of the British Screen Forum, we have Claire Mundell, who is the Managing Director of Synchronicity Films, and we've got Harriet Finney, who is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the British Film Institute. You're all very welcome. Thank you so much for joining us today.

And thank you for your patience. We had to postpone this meeting from September, so we've been on tenterhooks waiting to speak to you. Before we begin, can I just remind members to declare any interests at the point that you ask your questions? I'm going to start, if I can, Harriet, with you. How would you describe the current state of the UK film and high-end TV sector?

Where are we, and how does it compare to where we were when the Committee first published our report in April 25?

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