Host Mobeen Azhar, Creative Cities Convention Director Lisa Campbell and Liverpool’s Director of Culture, Major Events & Tourism Culture, Claire McColgan CBE open CCC 2026.

Few figures in British television have shaped the landscape quite like Sir Phil Redmond. In an era now defined by platforms, algorithms and global audiences, Sir Phil reflects on what’s changed — and what hasn’t. Has the digital revolution opened the door to bold new storytelling, or quietly narrowed the space for risk?

Poet and performer PJ Smith brings Liverpool’s creative spirit to the stage with a spoken word piece celebrating the city’s imagination, humour and rebellious cultural energy.

The scripted landscape is shifting fast. Budgets are tightening, audiences are fragmenting and platforms are redefining what success looks like. This session looks not just at what commissioners want, but how storytelling, business models and audience habits are evolving.

Dubbed the “Scouse Sopranos” and hailed as one of the BBC’s standout recent dramas, This City Is Ours puts Liverpool front and centre with swagger, scale and critical acclaim. Writer, executive producer, commissioner and cast go behind the scenes of the hit show’s journey to screen, exploring how it was developed, cast and crafted and what it takes to return for a second series with confidence.

With the collaborative effort of the four northern agencies to broaden the support they can offer, is the industry getting the skills it needs? Screen Alliance North evaluates its first three years.

From Liverpool lad to LA studio boss, Stuart Ford has forged a career built on creative instinct and commercial strategy. Returning to his home city, he’ll lift the lid on international deal making, the evolution of both film and TV independent financing and make the case for culturally-specific storytelling as a driver of global success. Using examples including his recent return to British cinema with Giant, Ford will explore why distinctive stories often travel further than generic ones and what the streamer slowdown, AI and other market pressures mean for international production in the UK.

The lines between television and digital are no longer blurring; they’ve collapsed. This session brings together leaders operating on both sides of that divide to explore how content is now conceived, funded and consumed in a world where audiences are moving faster than broadcasters.

In a coup for the Creative Cities Convention, Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra makes her first official industry appearance and shares her thoughts on the challenges ahead.

Two of the industry’s most entertaining and remarkable storytellers come together to celebrate the role that place plays in shaping great work. Between them, they’ve changed how Britain sees itself onscreen — drawing on voices, communities and identities far beyond London. A conversation from the creators behind Cracker, Hillsborough, Time, Have I Got News for You, Father Ted, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and Derry Girls about why sense of place matters.

Inaugural CCC Champions Awards - proudly sponsored by Liverpool FC Foundation.

All of our delegates are cordially invited for drinks, chatter and fun at our evening networking party with live music from Liverpool legends The Farm. A selection of delicious street food will be available for purchase. With thanks to Sony Pictures Television.

Wayne Garvie, President of International Production, Sony Pictures Television, will deliver the inaugural Wake Up Address, launching anew annual Creative Cities Convention keynote designed to challenge assumptions, take stock of a fast-changing industry and spark debate about what comes next. BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip will pick up his main points and host a Q&A.

New comedy is one of the hardest things to land but G’WED proved it can still be done. With its unapologetically Liverpudlian voice, standout cast and sharp take on grief, sex, class and teenage life, the show connected with audiences and built real buzz. The creative team and cast share insights on how they made it work and how word of mouth and social media helped turn a fresh comedy into a breakout success.

Designed to cut through industry noise and get to the reality of what broadcasters and platforms are actually looking for right now. With budgets tightening, risk tolerance shrinking and audiences fragmenting across platforms, the gap between what producers are pitching and what commissioners are buying has never felt wider. This session puts leading UK and global commissioners on the spot to unpack their current priorities - editorially, commercially and strategically.

Refreshments sponsored by Xe.

We celebrate working-class stories more than ever but are we actually letting working-class people tell them? With growing recognition that diversity must also mean class diversity, this session asks a blunt question: is access to the industry stalling, or even reversing? As costs rise and pathways narrow, who’s getting the best jobs? What are the invisible barriers still shaping careers?

Two of the UK’s strongest voices sit down to discuss their own personal journeys to success - for Andrea (Cow, American Honey, Fish Tank, Bird) from a council house in Dartford and for Tony Schumacher (Responder, The Cage) via policing, taxi-driving and hard graft in Liverpool. Both bring hard-won, personal perspectives on class, access and authenticity and offer their advice to upcoming generations of content creators.

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A lively session exploring how artificial intelligence and audience analytics are influencing pitching, development and writing. How are algorithms changing how shows are created, tested and commissioned? This session tracks the new journey, with creators building audiences first, shaping content through data and using platforms and AI to bypass traditional gatekeepers.

With thanks to UKTV, the CCC Official Lunch Partner for providing all of the catering.

A fast-moving Question Time-style debate on the future of British TV and digital platforms. With funding pressure, Charter review questions, platform competition and regional growth all in play, this session asks what kind of UK screen sector we want to build next and who gets to shape it.

For producers looking beyond traditional formats, podcasts offer new routes to audiences, talent and ideas. BBC and YouTube executives discuss the creative and commercial potential of audio storytelling and share where they see the space heading next.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia, acclaimed director of Amy, Senna, Diego Maradona and Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, discusses the craft and evolution of documentary storytelling. From his groundbreaking use of archive to the challenge of making distinctive films for a global audience, Kapadia reflects on the creative decisions, narrative instincts and industry shifts that have shaped his work. An opportunity to hear from one of the most innovative voices in contemporary doc-making.

A warm, funny and reflective conversation with one of British television comedy’s most distinctive voices. Craig Cash has helped shape some of the best-loved and most influential comedies of the past three decades, from The Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family to Early Doors, Rovers, The Café and Sunshine, creating work rooted in ordinary lives, brilliant detail, working-class voices and a powerful sense of place.

Hosted by Stuart Murphy, commissioner of over 100 comedies in former roles including Controller of BBC3 and former director of Sky Entertainment Channels, this session will explore Craig’s journey into TV, the making of landmark comedy, the importance of regional identity and what British comedy needs now.