The View From The North was set up in 1998 as an independent television production company specialising in history, travel, science and technology, observational documentary and popular factual entertainment formats. The company is based in Leeds and it has a strong commitment to playing its part in the development of the television industry within the Yorkshire region and to nurturing local programme making talent.
The company is wholly owned by its founder, David Hall, and by his wife, Fran. Both are from an education background and all of the company’s programmes are distinguished by their distinctive approach to education and information within an entertaining, popular factual format. Nowhere can this be seen better than in our use of Fred Dibnah as presenter of so many of our programmes on industrial, engineering and architectural history.
Although the company has expanded considerably, employing some of the best freelance talent in the region on our programmes, we are still basically a family run business. Production Manager Kathryn Hall has been with the company since its start-up.
Since its establishment in 1998, the company has been commissioned every year by the BBC to produce prime-time industrial, engineering and architectural history series with Fred Dibnah for BBC2. The programmes have always been in the BBC2/Channel 4/Channel 5 Top Ten and are frequently repeated. The company has also produced programmes for Channel 4, PBS and The Travel Channel and, most recently 6 x one-hours on the Founders of the Great Dynasties for The History Channel.
David Hall has 30 year’s experience producing and directing network programmes, including eight years at Yorkshire Television and six years making prime-time series for the BBC. Other credits include ‘Maggie’s Children’ (Channel 4) exploring the effects of Thatcherism on British young people and ‘All of You Out There,’ (Channel 4) the story of former Radio One DJ, Stuart Henry’s struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. This film gained the highest ratings for a single documentary in Channel 4’s first year of broadcasting.
