A Wrexham based TV production company is celebrating success after their BBC TV series gained top viewing figures!
Launched in 2023, Tŷ’r Ddraig (Dragon House) are based in one of the rentable studio spaces at Wrexham’s multi-award winning markets, arts & community venue, Tŷ Pawb.
They were recenlty comissioned by BBC Daytime to produce a new 16 part series, Lost and Found in the Lakes.
The series sees presenter Helen Skelton leading a team of experts to search for precious items lost by members of the public in the Lake District.
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Lost and Found in the Lakes has already achieved some terrific success, as Tŷ’r Ddraig’s Creative Director, Ben Smith explains : “We actually got the first set of viewing figures in from the launch and they are brilliant. 1.5 million viewers of episode 1. Which means it won its timeslot across all channels and was 22% up on the BBC slot average. Overall that’s really good for a new series launch.”
Growing Wrexham’s creative community
Ben explains how the company was founded: “I lead the company and was born and raised in Wrexham. I’ve worked in TV for nearly 25 years but have always wanted to set up a production company in North Wales and help grow the creative community here.
“We knew S4C wanted more content produced out of NE Wales and the positivity and extra profile around Welcome to Wrexham also helped to convince our backers this was the right time. Now also it feels like the right time to build on the growing creative corridor between North Wales and North-West England in the way Cardiff / Bristol / London has further south.”
“Although all our filming locations were in The Lake District, as a Wales/BBC Nations based production we recruited as many crew members from North Wales as possible and postproduction (the edit) took place at Rondo Media in Caernarfon.”
“For the 16 episodes we filmed for 3 months on location in The Lake District – working with local experts for the searches that we did in the series and working with a crew of around 8-10 people.”
“Getting such a big (16 episode) commission was a particular success for us because the production company was only launched in June 2023. We’re part of the wider Workerbee and Banijay group – the World’s largest independent production group – who have backed and supported us to set up in Wales.”
A new company with a bright future
Lead Member with responsibility for Tŷ Pawb, Cllr Hugh Jones, said: “The rentable stalls and spaces at Tŷ Pawb have been specifically designed to be versatile, affordable, practical settings that enable new businesses and creative ventures to become established and sow the seeds for their future success.
“It’s brilliant to see another local company helping to grow Wrexham’s flourishing creative community. Congratulations to Ben and the team on this terrific success. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from Tŷ’r Ddraig very soon.”
Watch Lost and Found in the Lakes now!
You can watch all episodes of Lost and Found in the Lakes on BBC iPlayer – Lost and Found in the Lakes – BBC iPlayer
