William hails UK’s ‘world renowned’ TV talent pipeline

The Prince of Wales has hailed the UK’s TV talent pipeline as “world renowned”.

William was speaking in a video recorded on a visit to Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff, Wales, which saw him shown around Doctor Who’s Tardis, screened at the Bafta Cymru Awards in Newport on Sunday.

The future king was also given a tour around the set of the upcoming BBC series The Other Bennet Sister by the Cardiff studios’ chief executive Jane Tranter.

The future king was also introduced to trainees who have come through Bad Wolf’s Screen Alliance Wales (SAW) training initiative and built careers in TV, having been recipients of The Prince William Bafta Bursary programme, by SAW managing director Allison Dowzell.

In the video, the 43-year-old said: “Our talent pipeline is world renowned, and, whilst talent is everywhere, all too often opportunity is lacking.

“And that’s where Bafta’s bursary programme plays an important role in supporting the next generation of talent, giving young people vital support to get that crucial first step on the career ladder.

“These bursaries are used to pay for training courses, equipment, relocation expenses, and much more – the essentials without which talented people can be locked out of a career in the screen arts.

“Here in Wales, we have more than 50 bursary recipients. As president of Bafta I’d like to say a huge thank you to our partners Ffilm Cymru Wales and Screen Alliance Wales, and to everyone who has so generously supported the Bafta Bursary programme.”

The visit on September 10 came as part of the studios’ 10th anniversary, on the same day William visited the Jac Lewis Foundation centre at the city’s Principality Stadium to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

Speaking after the visit, Ms Tranter said: “It was a complete joy to show Prince William around Bad Wolf.

“We are so incredibly proud of the outreach work being done by Allison Dowzell and the team at Screen Alliance Wales, and for Prince William to help highlight the work being done at the studios means a great deal.

“He was introduced to trainees from a wide range of departments, and it was fantastic to see him take such an interest in the new generation of TV creatives.

“We are so proud that many of the SAW trainees have gone on to be awarded Prince William Bafta bursaries, and His Royal Highness was fascinated to hear how each of the trainees was using their bursary to further their careers.”

During the engagement, William also met schoolchildren from St Albans RC Primary School in Tremorfa, Cardiff, during a puppetry workshop held by SAW education and training executive Sarah O’Keefe.

The puppets were used to represent characters’ daemons in the BBC series His Dark Materials and the workshop aimed to introduce children to the TV industry.

SAW has arranged 3,772 studio visits, including classroom lessons, since its inception, and created 149 paid traineeships on Welsh TV productions including Industry, Doctor Who and The Other Bennet Sister.