As Covid-19 safety guidelines are relaxed and much of the UK’s film and TV industry looks ahead to resuming production this autumn, Screen Yorkshire’s Film Office team has been looking at innovative ways that it can support an increase in new production enquiries.

The team has been collaborating with property owners at some of Yorkshire’s most popular filming locations and studios to deliver "virtual recces" - where producers are shown around a potential site for use - in recent weeks.

The organisation is also planning to support a number of socially distanced recces in the region.

Castle Howard in North Yorkshire has been used in a number of films and television shows, including Brideshead Revisited. Picture: James Hardisty.

Chris Hordley, production liaison and development manager at Screen Yorkshire, said: "Following the publication of the UK filming guidance earlier this month, we have had an increase in production enquiries coming into the film office, which is really encouraging.

"However, with many properties still under lockdown, we have had to think of new ways that we can support productions to prep within the Covid-19 restrictions.

"The virtual recces that we have delivered so far have been a great success thanks to the cooperation and support of location owners and we will continue to look at ways that we can adapt our film office service to ensure that Yorkshire is ready to gear back into production as soon as it is safe to do so."

The team has also developed a risk assessment specifically for assessing the suitability of locations for filming, which outlines the most up to date Covid-19 control and mitigation measures, to ensure that recces can happen as safely as possible.

Screen Yorkshire using virtual recces to promote region's best filming locations