Minister visits new Channel 4 National HQ site at The Majestic in Leeds

28 February 2020

Government Minister, Simon Clarke MP has described the opening of Channel 4’s new national headquarters at The Majestic in Leeds as a brilliant opportunity for the whole of the North.

Mr Clarke was given a tour of The Majestic building in Leeds city centre by Channel 4’s CEO Alex Mahon and developers Rushbond Group.

The Majestic was announced last year as the new home for the broadcaster and is currently undergoing a major redevelopment in preparation for Channel 4 moving into the building later this year. When fully up and running there will be 250 Channel 4 jobs based at The Majestic including senior programme commissioners and the organisation’s new digital creative unit.

The Minister also attended a dinner at Shears Yard hosted by Channel 4 with other Yorkshire MPs to celebrate the arrival of Channel 4 in the City.

The Minister of State Simon Clarke MP said: “The success of the Northern Powerhouse depends on giving the regional voices a national platform. That is why the opening of The Majestic as Channel 4’s new HQ later this year is a brilliant opportunity for Leeds and the whole of the North.”

Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon said: “We opened the doors of our National HQ in Leeds in the autumn at our temporary office and it’s fantastic to see how work has progressed at The Majestic, which we’re so excited to be moving into later this year - particularly because the building means so much to Leeds. 

“We already have around 180 roles based across Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester and in a rapid amount of time we have changed to become more open and accessible to talent from the Nations & Regions. This will enable us to better reflect the interests and issues important to people from across the UK.  It’s been particularly gratifying to see how our move to Leeds has also stimulated growth in the wider creative economy here, with over 12 production companies, industry bodies and initiatives setting up in the region since we announced our move.”

The opening of three new centres – the National HQ in Leeds and Creative Hubs in Bristol and Glasgow - are at the heart of Channel 4’s 4 All the UK strategy to attract and develop talent from across the UK, both on and off-screen.

The 4 All the UK strategy will support the significant increase in the organisation’s Nations & Regions spend on creative content – from 35% to 50% of main channel UK commissions by 2023, worth up to £250m more in total. When fully implemented, the 4 All the UK strategy will result in 300 jobs in the Nations & Regions and will support thousands more in the wider production sector.

Leeds is already home to a range of commissioners from key genres including daytime, drama, factual, specialist factual and sport. It’s also the base for Channel 4’s new digital creative unit which will commission and produce content for social and digital platforms as well as the headquarters of Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund.  The office also houses the pictures team and members of teams supporting All 4, finance, business affairs, press and corporate relations, audience research and insight, human resources, data science, information and archives and workspace.