A TOP TV boss has hit out at the organisers of Edinburgh TV Festival’s decision to leave the Scottish capital, saying the city created what it is today and “gave it relevance and context for 50 years”.
The head of Screen Scotland further said that the festival’s relocation to Greater Manchester was no “surprise” and that “significant funding” in place for the event will now go towards creating new opportunities in Scotland.
On Tuesday, the organisers behind the annual event said that this year's festival would be the last in Scotland as they plan to move it to England in a bid to “radically reduce the costs” and make it easier for people to attend.
Organisers said Greater Manchester was chosen to host the festival, which has been based in the Scottish capital since 1976, due to its combination of “creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates”.
Commenting on the news, the director of Screen Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national public agency that aims to develop all aspects of the nation's film and TV industry, David Smith said: “Is this a surprise, a disappointment? Not entirely, and it's an opportunity.”
He added: “The value proposition of the TV Festival hasn't been as solid since the pandemic, and this move gives them a chance to work on that, to break with the rich history they inherited and fully own the outcomes of their decisions. I hope they take it.”
Smith went on to say that after organisers take the festival to England, Edinburgh will continue to attract talent from around the world for years to come.
“That talent has long been a key draw for one-time TV Fest delegates and will continue to be from 2027,” he said.
Around 2000 delegates normally attend the event, the biggest screen industry gathering in the UK, which is organised by The TV Foundation charity.
Smith went on to say that Screen Fringe, a professional networking program funded by Screen Scotland that aims to help support Scotland's TV and film industry, will grow and that “new opportunities will be developed”.
He added: “Edinburgh created the TV Festival, gave it relevance and context for 50 years. Edinburgh's bid to retain the TV Festival was robust and addressed the concerns raised by the TV Fest team, at least to the level that was considered justified by what they in turn brought to the city each August.
“It was a bid built on collaboration that attracted significant support from industry here in Scotland and across the UK. It included significant funding pledges and had a strong focus on accessibility and affordability.
“Looking forward the resources that would have supported the TV Festival had it stayed in Edinburgh are now available to support other new things. That is the opportunity.”
The Edinburgh TV Festival made the shock announcement that it was taking applications from “cities and regions” across the UK to play host to the event last November.
At the time, Screen Scotland said it planned to work with the festival bosses to ensure the event stays in Edinburgh.
However, Campbell Glennie, chief executive of the TV Festival and The TV Foundation, said relocation of the event would make it cheaper to run the festival and would attract more people.
“Greater Manchester presented a vision for the festival that combined genuine creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates,” he said.
“This means we can radically reduce the costs associated with attending the festival as well as the cost of passes.
“The city reflects the expanding ambition of the UK television industry, while still offering the scale, connectivity and unique cultural identity needed for an event of this significance; it gives us the strongest platform to grow the festival’s reach and impact in the years ahead.”
The Edinburgh TV Festival notably features the MacTaggart lecture, which has given a platform to figures such as Emily Maitlis, Louis Theroux, and David Olusoga in recent years.
The decision to move the festival from Edinburgh was met with fierce criticism from several top comedy figures.
They argued that a number of acts and shows, including Fleabag, Baby Reindeer, and Taskmaster, would not have been picked up if it weren’t for the festival running alongside the Fringe.
