Key Points
- Dr Rupa Huq MP hosted the parliamentary launch of West London Screens: The Hidden Engine of the UK’s Convergent Screen Industries at Westminster on Monday, 1 June 2026.
- The report says west London’s screen industries generate £74.5 billion in turnover and support thousands of jobs.
- It identifies 6,842 companies and 82 studios operating across west London, describing the area as the strategic heart of the UK’s screen industries.
- The research was produced by Professor Emily Caston of the University of West London and commissioned by West London Business with nine west London councils, including Ealing.
- The report places Ealing Studios at the centre of a long-running film and television legacy, noting it is the world’s oldest continuously operating film studio.
- Speakers at the launch included Dan Tomlinson MP, Jack Abbott MP and Adrian Wootton OBE.
- The report warns that rising costs, loss of workspace, shortages of freelance workers and exposure to overseas tax incentives and US commissioning patterns all pose risks to the sector.
- The report calls for investment in skills, stronger support for freelancers and formal recognition of west London as a distinct national screen industry cluster.
Ealing (Britain Today News) June 5, 2026. Ealing’s long-standing place in the British film and television landscape was pushed into the national spotlight on Monday when Dr Rupa Huq MP hosted the parliamentary launch of a landmark report setting out the scale, depth and economic weight of the region’s screen industries. The Hidden Engine of the UK’s Convergent Screen Industries, argues that west London is not merely a historic filming location but a modern industrial hub that helps drive production, post-production, visual effects, commissioning, finance and studio activity across the country.
The study says the sector is far larger than many people realise, with a combined turnover of £74.5 billion and thousands of jobs linked to the region’s screen economy. It identifies 6,842 companies and 82 studios across west London, presenting the area as the strategic heart of Britain’s convergent screen industries. That language matters because the report is not describing a narrow cluster of film sets; it is mapping a whole ecosystem in which creative work, technical services and physical production all depend on one another.
What did the report find?
The research was produced by Professor Emily Caston of the University of West London and commissioned by West London Business alongside nine west London councils, including Ealing. The report says the area’s screen sector stretches across the full production chain, from commissioning and finance to post-production, visual effects and studio space. It argues that west London has become a “hidden engine” because much of its economic contribution operates behind the scenes, out of public view but central to the way modern screen content is made.
Professor Caston said the findings pointed to
“a convergent ecosystem of extraordinary depth and reach — spanning film, TV, advertising, games, live events, post-production and visual effects — that is shaping screen culture globally”.
She added that the scale of the sector
“demands serious attention from investors and policymakers alike”.
The report frames west London as a place where creative sectors overlap rather than sit in separate silos, and that convergence is presented as one of the main reasons for its economic strength.
Why does Ealing matter?
Ealing’s importance to the story is rooted in history as much as in present-day output. Ealing Studios, now in Ealing Southall constituency, is described as the world’s oldest continuously operating film studio, and the report places that heritage within a wider network of modern production facilities and related businesses. Productions ranging from Love Actually and About a Boy to Motherland and Big Brother have been filmed locally, underlining the borough’s continuing relevance to both film and television.
That long connection has turned Ealing into more than a symbolic name. The report argues that the borough has helped anchor a wider west London cluster that brings together studios, specialist suppliers, freelancers and production services, creating a supply chain that supports work across the UK. In other words, Ealing is presented not as an isolated legacy site but as part of an interlinked industrial geography that remains active in the current screen economy.
What was said in Parliament?
Dr Rupa Huq said the launch brought together leading industry figures who voiced sectoral challenges alongside top parliamentarians, including the tax minister who can act on the pressures facing creatives in west London’s screen economy. She described the area’s status as “world-beating” and said that the term is often over-used, but in this case “it’s genuinely the case”. Her remarks placed emphasis on both economic significance and the policy gaps that still need to be addressed if the sector is to remain competitive.
Among those attending were Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Dan Tomlinson MP, Department for Culture, Media and Sport Parliamentary Private Secretary Jack Abbott MP and British Film Commission chief executive Adrian Wootton OBE. Their presence signalled that the report was aimed not only at industry leaders but also at decision-makers who can influence taxation, regulation, workforce development and infrastructure planning. The launch therefore served as both a celebration of west London’s creative strength and a call for coordinated government attention.
How big is the sector?
The report says the west London screen economy includes 6,842 companies and 82 studios, a scale that makes the region one of the most significant screen clusters in the UK. It also argues that west London is not in competition with other UK production centres in a simple zero-sum sense, but instead supports productions nationwide through its specialist services and infrastructure. Recent productions linked to the area include Bridgerton, The Crown and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which the report uses to illustrate the reach of the local ecosystem.
This matters because screen industries are often measured by the headline success of individual films or television series, while the deeper economic story lies in the suppliers, technicians, studios and support services that make those projects possible. The report’s central claim is that west London sits at the strategic junction of those activities, with a concentration of skills and infrastructure that is unusually dense even by global standards. That is why the report repeatedly presents the area as a “hidden engine” rather than a visible glamour location alone.
What risks are highlighted?
The report also warns that the sector faces mounting pressures. Rising costs, the loss of workspace, especially in parts of Soho, and a shortage of freelance workers are identified as major concerns. It also says the industry is exposed to international tax incentives and changes in US commissioning patterns, both of which could alter where productions are made and where investment flows.
These risks are important because the screen economy depends on mobility, specialist labour and commercially viable production space. If costs rise too sharply or workspace is lost, the ecosystem can weaken even if demand for content remains strong. The report therefore presents the sector’s strength as real but not guaranteed, arguing that without policy support and investment, west London’s competitive edge could erode.
What support is being called for?
The report calls for further investment in skills, stronger support for freelancers and formal recognition of west London as a distinct national screen industry cluster. It argues that the region’s creative strength should be treated as strategic infrastructure, not just a collection of successful businesses. That means policy, planning and economic development decisions would need to reflect the way screen work is organised across borough boundaries and across different parts of the production chain.
Peter Mason, leader of Ealing Council, said the borough had long played an “outsized role” in the sector because of its studio heritage and newer facilities. He said the industry had delivered
“good quality jobs for our residents for decades”
and described west London as “a global film and TV destination” as well as a key part of the UK’s production supply chain. Mason added that closer collaboration across boroughs and with industry partners would be needed to sustain growth and ensure local people can access skilled work.
How does regeneration fit in?
Matthew Carpen, chief executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, said the research
“shines a light on the scale and importance of West London’s film industry — driving jobs, innovation and global influence”.
He said regeneration plans in the area were intended to support further growth while
“creating exciting career paths for local people”.
That places the screen sector within a wider urban development agenda, where land use, transport, business growth and workforce opportunity are all connected.
The report’s emphasis on regeneration suggests that the future of west London’s screen cluster will not be shaped by entertainment policy alone. It will also depend on planning decisions, workspace protection, skills pipelines and how the area’s broader economy evolves. In that sense, the report is as much about industrial strategy as it is about film and television.
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Why is the report being called landmark?
The report is being described as landmark because it attempts to map, for the first time, the full scope of west London’s screen sector across nine boroughs. It also reframes a historically famous part of London as a modern, interconnected industrial engine with measurable national importance. By linking Ealing’s studio heritage to today’s wider production network, the research gives policymakers, investors and industry leaders a more complete picture of the region’s role.
Its significance also lies in the scale of the numbers and the breadth of the claims. A turnover of £74.5 billion, thousands of companies and dozens of studios collectively point to a sector that extends far beyond the familiar image of a film set. The report argues that recognising this reality is essential if west London is to retain its position in an increasingly competitive global market.
What does this mean for the UK?
The report’s wider message is that west London is central to the UK’s screen success, not peripheral to it. British Film Commission chief executive Adrian Wootton told guests that the UK currently hosts more film, television, advertising and games production than anywhere else in the world, adding that more stars are filming in Britain than in Los Angeles. His comments, alongside the report’s findings, suggest that west London’s ecosystem is part of a broader national advantage that still needs active protection.
The report also implies that if west London is strengthened, the benefits could spread well beyond the boroughs covered in the study. Better support for freelancers, stronger training and safer workspace could help keep production in the UK while feeding jobs and investment into local communities. That makes the report relevant not only to Ealing but to the future shape of Britain’s screen industries as a whole.
What happens next?
The next stage will depend on whether policymakers and industry leaders treat the report’s findings as a blueprint for action. The recommendations for investment, skills support and formal cluster recognition point toward a more coordinated approach to planning and economic development. The launch in Parliament has given the report a high-profile platform, but the real test will be whether it influences spending, regulation and long-term strategy.
For Ealing, the report strengthens an argument that has been building for years: that the borough is not just part of London’s creative story, but one of the places where that story is economically rooted. In an industry that depends on infrastructure, talent and continuity, the borough’s legacy studios and modern production links may prove to be one of its greatest assets. The report’s message is clear: west London’s screen industries are not hidden because they are small, but because their impact has often been underestimated.
