The Prince of Wales has praised the United Kingdom’s television industry, describing its talent pipeline as “world renowned”. In a video message recorded during his visit to Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff, which was later shown at the Bafta Cymru Awards in Newport, Prince William explored the Doctor Who Tardis set and met those shaping the future of British screen production. The visit also included a preview of the forthcoming BBC series The Other Bennet Sister, where the future king was welcomed by Bad Wolf’s chief executive, Jane Tranter.
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During his tour, Prince William met trainees who began their careers through Bad Wolf’s Screen Alliance Wales (SAW) training initiative, supported by the Prince William Bafta Bursary programme. “Our talent pipeline is world renowned,” he said, adding that while “talent is everywhere, opportunity is often lacking”. He highlighted the importance of the bursary scheme, which helps aspiring professionals with essential costs such as training, equipment and relocation. “Here in Wales, we have more than 50 bursary recipients,” he noted, expressing gratitude to partners Ffilm Cymru Wales and Screen Alliance Wales for their continued support.
The visit on 10 September marked the 10th anniversary of Bad Wolf Studios and coincided with the Prince’s appearance at the Jac Lewis Foundation centre at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for World Suicide Prevention Day. Reflecting on the royal visit, Jane Tranter said: “It was a complete joy to show Prince William around Bad Wolf. We are immensely proud of the outreach work led by Allison Dowzell and the Screen Alliance Wales team, and His Royal Highness’s recognition of this work means a great deal.” She added that the Prince took “a genuine interest in the new generation of TV creatives” and was keen to hear how bursary recipients were advancing their careers.
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During the engagement, the Prince also met pupils from St Albans RC Primary School in Tremorfa, Cardiff, who took part in a puppetry workshop led by SAW’s education and training executive, Sarah O’Keefe. The session, inspired by the BBC series His Dark Materials, introduced children to the art of television production through the creation of puppets representing characters’ daemons. Since its establishment, Screen Alliance Wales has delivered 3,772 studio visits and classroom lessons, and created 149 paid traineeships on major Welsh productions including Industry, Doctor Who and The Other Bennet Sister.
