ALT Douglas Mackinnon: We could not have brought High-end productions like Good Omens and Anansi Boys to Scotland without the hard work of those that came before us. Outlander stands out as proof of concept that world class High-end television can be made in Scotland, but the writers, directors, producers and crews who are the backbone of our industry mostly emerged with the help of public service broadcasters like Channel 4. The reason quotas exist in public service television is surely for two main reasons, i.e. to try and improve economic and cultural imbalances, which are usually weighted in favour of London and against the nations and regions of the UK. In making their quota unjust in this way, Channel 4 surely go against that aim and therefore go against the public service remit that they fought so hard to retain. Read the full quote at https://directors.uk.com/news/directors-uk-letter-to-ofcom-on-nations-and-regions/

ALT Matt Pinder: For as long as I can remember, I wanted to make a film for Channel 4. The likes of Cutting Edge, Dispatches and Unreported World were a huge inspiration when I was coming up. So when I finally did get the chance to direct a series going out at 9pm on Channel 4 it felt like such a massive deal. It’s difficult to state how much that helped my career. Not only in terms of what I learnt through the process of making the series with Channel 4 but also just the credit itself. Almost overnight I was being considered for bigger gigs. That was 10 years ago and it was a pretty unusual opportunity for a Scottish-based director back then. To think that it will now be even harder for new talent up here to get those kind of breaks is pretty devastating. And indeed, selfishly, that I might not get another shot simply down to my postcode seems really unfair.

ALT Linda Sands: In Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause, Davina was brutally honest about her own menopause experience which made our contributors feel more confident in telling their own story. The film broke through and was watched by over 2 million people. As a mother of three who is about to hit that time in her life, it was a story I was passionate about telling and was ably assisted by co-producer (and fellow Scot) Kate Muir, whose cause it was. This doc was made with a Glasgow company (Finestripe) with a commissioner from the North of England. Having the opportunity to make documentaries likes this in Scotland has enabled me to build and grow a successful career without having to leave my children for long periods of time. If I had only been able to work out of London, I would have had to take a step back from an industry I love and an industry that talks about the importance of keeping female directors.

ALT Michael Barrett: As a PD working in the north of England as well as Scotland, all my employment comes from regional commissions, of which at least 50% has been for Channel 4. Because of this, I've been able to forge a career as a shooting PD, largely in property series which were regional commissions. This culminated in Series Directing the first series of The Great House Giveaway - a Welsh commission partly made in Manchester - which won a BAFTA, Broadcast award and an RTS award for Channel 4. More recently, I've been able to transition into edit producing - again on programmes that were Channel 4 regional commissions - Mega Mansion Hunters and Know Your S***: Inside Our Guts. Without relocating my family to the South East, I’ve found it impossible to compete and win similar roles on productions within the M25 and its thanks to these regional commissions from Channel 4 that I’ve been able to build a career and a reputation in Unscripted.

ALT A statue of a woman holding a set of weighing scales