VH will be shut for two months but regular activities will carry on elsewhere

The Village Hall is on the verge of securing the most prestigious and lucrative booking in its history, hosting the filming of a BBC children’s drama next Spring. It will mean a two month partial closure of the Hall to regular users but they are being found alternative accommodation for their activities. The booking, from the producers of the CBBC children’s drama ‘Jamie Johnson’ and its spin-off ‘Jamie Johnson FC’, will run from 17th March until the 16th May next year from 730 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. The hall will remain available for village use at other times during that period.

The approach from the programme-makers was first made several weeks ago and the initial discussions took place with Toni Clarkson who was standing in as Bookings Secretary at the time. Since then, VH Chair, Gerald Shervington, and Secretary, Lesley Shervington, have held several meetings and phone chats with the production team. An agreement has been reached in principle and the director and producer are due to be in the village later this week for a further meeting with the Village Hall team to confirm arrangements.

Over the past week, discussions have taken place with the all regular users of the Hall to try to organise alternative accommodation for them. The Table Tennis Club, the biggest user of the Hall, will probably use either St. John’s Church or Markington Village Hall. The Methodist Chapel and Schoolroom will also be used to accommodate other regular bookings. Some users may stay in the VH but at different times.

Discussions are continuing about the arrangements including issues around the carpark and the availability of the VH toilets. It’s understood that the production might use the MUGA (multi-use games area) on the second tennis court but it’s not expected that access to the playing fields will have to be restricted.

The children's drama, which started in 2016 and has already run to seven series, has previously been shot in Nottingham and South Wales. Its spin-off started in 2023. It is the story of a football academy and a gifted young footballer and his struggles and has featured cameo appearances by famous footballers including Gary Lineker. It’s understood that the director, Joe Talbot, has a child at a school near Harrogate and was made aware of Bishop Monkton Village Hall through a fellow parent.

The exact value of the booking remains confidential but it is understood to equate to more than a year’s normal bookings for the Hall. Discussions are also underway about catering and accommodation for the 60-70 members of the production crew who will be in the village throughout the period. There could be opportunities for a number of local businesses to benefit significantly from this.

The Village Hall was opened in 2005 and was financed through local fundraising and the proceeds of the sale of two buildings in the village – the former WI Hall and the Mechanics Institution. The Hall regularly attracts more than 800 bookings a year.

VH Chair, Gerald Shervington, said:- ‘This is a great opportunity for the Village Hall to secure significant extra income. It’s also a great bit of PR for the village to get a BBC production based here. I’m really grateful for the understanding attitude of village organisations who are prepared to be flexible with their bookings to allow this to happen.”

There’s more information about the drama ‘Jamie Johnson’ here

We will have more on this developing story later in the week.

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