• Unboxed: Creativity in the UK will bring people together either in person or through digital media
• Unboxed will play a major role in a year of celebration for the country alongside Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
• Programme will run from March to October 2022 boosting tourism, supporting local economies and helping the nation’s renewal following the Covid-19 pandemic

Today marks the unveiling of Unboxed: Creativity in the UK – a major festival taking place in 2022 featuring ten spectacular projects across the UK that people will be able to visit in person or experience through traditional broadcast and digital media.

Unboxed brings together some of the UK’s brightest talents in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths to work on jaw-dropping projects that will champion the nation’s creative ability, give people memorable days out and support tourism and local economies.

The festival, backed by £120 million of government funding, will touch all corners of the UK, with projects moving to different locations across the UK to reach as big an audience as possible.

Combined with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, next year will be one of pride, celebration and coming together for the nation following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said:

From the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 2022 is going to be a year of celebrating the UK at its best.

And today, we are launching our fantastic new festival – Unboxed: Creativity in the UK.

A celebration of UK ingenuity, energy, innovation, optimism and all-round creative genius, it will be unlike anything else that has been seen before.

Light shows, sculpture trails and a festival of ideas are just some of the spectacular events that will take place in locations across the UK – alongside work and experiences you can interact with digitally.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

Next year we will celebrate creativity in all four corners of the UK in what is set to be a huge year for the nation. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience world-leading arts and culture no matter what their background or where they’re from – and that’s what Unboxed is all about.

In 2022 we’re also preparing to host the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Together, these events will be at the heart of a year of celebration that will showcase the best of the UK to the world.

Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer, Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, said:

Hundreds of creatives from across science, technology, engineering, arts and maths are creating extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime events and online experiences for millions in the UK’s biggest and most ambitious public creative programme to date.

Unboxed represents an unprecedented and timely opportunity for people to come together across the UK and beyond and take part in awe-inspiring projects that speak to who we are and explore the ideas that will define our futures.

Unboxing opportunities

The programme of events will also engage hundreds of thousands of school children, young people and communities throughout 2022 through school outreach and other ways to take part. There will be volunteering roles to be filled and Unboxed will create employment and training opportunities for people involved.

Unboxed will kick off in March with the incredible ‘About Us’ installation beginning in Paisley, before touring locations including Derry-Londonerry, Caernarfon, Luton and Hull. Featuring a spectacular sound and vision show, ‘About Us’ will take audiences on a journey through time and space – from the Big Bang to the present day – exploring the earth’s history and people’s connections to one another. Renowned musician Nitin Sawhney has composed a score for the show that will be performed by local choirs in host towns and cities. There will also be a UK-wide schools’ poetry and computer coding competition, launched today.

Across Scotland, the ‘Dandelion’ project will feature Unexpected Gardens, vertical farms, free music events and plant giveaways to reimagine the annual harvest festival for the 21st Century, from Caithness to Dumfries.

In Wales, ‘GALWAD’ – which means call in Welsh – will tell an original story thirty years in the future, bringing 2052 to the streets of Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Ffestiniog next year. Film production designer Alex McDowell, who worked on Minority Report, is collaborating with people from across Wales on this story as it’s told across different platforms.

In Northern Ireland, ‘Our Place in Space’ will be a 10km scale model sculpture trail of the solar system that has been designed by children’s author and artist Oliver Jeffers. People will be able to visit it in person in Derry-Londonderry, Belfast Divis and the Black Mountain, Cambridge and Ulster Transport Museum or through augmented reality.

‘Tour De Moon’ will be a series of festivals, satellite events and nightlife experiences inspired by and in collaboration with the Moon. Young creative talent aged 18 to 25 will be involved in creating the programme that will include music, filmmaking and debate. It will take place across Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton and satellite events across England.

Weston-super-Mare will be home to ‘SEE MONSTER’ a decommissioned North Sea offshore platform which will be transformed into a huge public art installation on the site of the town’s disused former lido, Tropicana, in what is set to be a sensory show-stopper.

A summary of the ten projects at ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’:

• About Us (locations: Paisley, Derry-Londonderry, Caernarfon, Luton, Hull) – An epic touring light and vision show will take audiences on a journey through time and space – from the Big Bang to the present day – exploring the earth’s history and people’s connections to one another.
• PolliNations (locations: Edinburgh, Birmingham) – A pop-up forest garden that celebrates the global origins of the UK’s plants and population through immersive installations, live music, talks and performances.
• Dandelion (locations: across Scotland with two major music and food festivals in Glasgow and Inverness) – 100,000 schoolchildren and young people will take part in the largest community growing experiment ever undertaken in Scotland. Featuring live events to explore the science of future growth.
• GALWAD: A Story from our Future (locations: Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Swansea, TV and Online) – Communities from across Wales, creatives and a Hollywood production studio are working together to shape and share a story set 30 years in the future across TV drama, digital platforms and live events in three Welsh locations Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Swansea.
• Tour de Moon (locations: Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton and satellite locations across England) – A festival of ideas inspired by our ‘universal satellite’, the Moon, held on a festival site created for young people and their families.
• Our Place in Space (locations: Derry-Londonderry, Belfast, Divis and Black Mountain, Cambridge and Ulster Transport Museum) – A 10km scale-model sculpture trail of the solar system, designed by artist and children’s author Oliver Jeffers, which can be visited physically or experienced in augmented reality. The digital technology enables you to visit the virtual trail from any global location making it accessible to all.
• SEE MONSTER (location: Weston-super-Mare) – A decommissioned North Sea offshore platform installed in Weston-super-Mare will be transformed into a magnificent public art installation.
• StoryTrails (locations: Blackpool, Bradford, Bristol, London Borough of Lambeth and Lewisham, Lincoln, Sheffield, Slough, Wolverhampton, Swansea, Newport, Dundee, Dumfries, Swindon and Omagh) – StoryTrails will bring to life untold stories using augmented reality in civic spaces to see BBC and BFI archive footage and learn the story of where they live.
• Dreamachine (location: Edinburgh, Cardiff, London, Belfast) – An artwork seen with your eyes closed that explores the limitless potential of the human mind in a powerful new kind of collective experience.
• Green Space, Dark Skies (location: online) – A series of interventions celebrating the UK landscape to connect people with nature using a new lighting technology to be experienced by audiences online.

Find out more

• Makers of smart speakers could face new measures to protect listener access to radio services
• Follows review of UK radio to benefit future audiences and continue sector’s success
• Review also concludes there should be no FM switch-off until at least 2030

The Digital Radio and Audio Review found that smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home are owned or accessed by a third of all adults and now play a central role in many of our lives – despite only being available for around five years.

The report recommends new measures to protect UK radio stations’ accessibility so that their content is carried on platforms via connected audio devices such as smart speakers and car ‘infotainment’ systems. This will mean they can continue to reach loyal audiences as radio is increasingly listened to via tech platforms rather than traditional radio sets.

The review, commissioned by the government and undertaken with a broad cross-section of industry stakeholders including commercial radio groups, the BBC, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and techUK, looked at the challenges radio services are likely to face in the future from changing listening habits and new technologies.

Other recommendations include that there should be no mandated switch-off of analogue radio until at least 2030 – meaning that FM radio broadcasts can continue for at least another decade so the elderly, vulnerable and people in remote communities can access essential news and entertainment.

The government will consider the review’s recommendations as it prepares a Broadcasting White Paper and develops a new pro-competition regime for digital markets.

Media Minister Julia Lopez said:

British radio showcases some of our best creative talent and played a vital role in the pandemic bringing news and entertainment to those in need.

We must make sure this treasured medium continues to reach audiences as listening shifts to new technologies and that we have a gradual transition away from FM to protect elderly listeners and those in remote areas.

We will not have a digital switchover until at least 2030 and will consider new rules to keep our thriving radio sector at the heart of the UK’s media landscape.

Radio listening habits have changed markedly over the past ten years, with more listener choice than ever before thanks to the increasing availability of on-demand audio and the successful development of DAB digital radio.

There are now more than 570 stations available on DAB across the UK, in addition to thousands of online stations and more than 300 stations on analogue. Around 60 per cent of all radio listening is now via DAB or another digital platform, and the review concludes that DAB will underpin listening well into the 2030s and beyond. New small scale DAB networks are coming on air giving more and more small local stations the ability to broadcast digitally.

The review found that the ability of the UK radio industry to thrive in the long term is increasingly dependent on listeners having free access to the hundreds of different UK radio stations on connected audio devices.

Sixty four per cent of audio consumed on a smart speaker is live radio and the review predicts that live radio will still account for more than 50 per cent of UK audio listening in the mid-2030s.

Amazon, Google and Apple currently provide more than 95 per cent of voice-activated smart speakers and the review notes there is nothing within the current regulations to prevent tech platforms from being able to limit or restrict access to UK radio services or to charge stations for carriage.

Other research undertaken for the review found analogue radio listening will account for just 12 to 14 per cent of all radio listening by 2030, but FM in particular remains highly valued by many listeners, especially those who are older or more vulnerable, drive older cars or live in areas with limited DAB coverage.

The review recommends there should be no formal switch-off of FM services before 2030. AM services, accounting for less than 3 per cent of all listening, should develop a plan to retire national medium wave services, given the cost of running duplicate networks.

Other recommendations from the review include:

• The government moving forward with its plans for deregulation of commercial radio services to reduce burdens on the sector from outdated regulation;
• Further measures to support and develop the audio sector, including making it more diverse and representative of the UK;
• New measures to support national commercial AM licensees who want to retire medium wave services;
• And further work relating to other distribution channels for radio content, including mobile and to increase the rollout of DAB+ to offer listeners better quality and more services.

Rhona Burns, Director of Operations, BBC Radio said:

Radio plays a unique role in people’s lives. This review recognises that and proposes important steps to keep radio listening strong as audience habits change, ensuring brilliant content is easy to find and access across all platforms. It also challenges the BBC and the whole industry to keep innovating and evolving our audio offer, whilst keeping linear listening alive for the many millions who love it.

We welcome the review’s focus on making sure radio remains relevant to all audiences, including increasing diversity, skills and representation both on and off air, and we look forward to working with the industry to achieve these goals.

Paul Keenan, President of Bauer Media Audio said:

The radio industry has embraced the disruptive potential provided by connected devices, but such platforms also present long term risks as relationships with listeners are increasingly mediated by gatekeepers. To protect radio’s public value, it’s crucial that listeners continue to enjoy unfettered access free at the point of use, and broadcasters continue to have a secure route to market on equitable terms, so I fully welcome the Review’s recommendations.

We look forward to working with legislators to mitigate the challenges our industry faces and create opportunities for increased digital audio listening and innovation over the longer term.

Seb Enser-Wight, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy & Development of Global, said:

We welcome the move to protect FM until at least 2030, recognising the important role it plays in many people’s lives. We’re pleased that there are recommendations to safeguard listeners’ ability to access radio services freely and easily on FM, DAB and IP platforms, including smart speakers and connected cars.

Ian Moss, Chief Executive of Radiocentre said:

This report marks a significant moment for the UK radio and audio industry. The Review has identified a set of proposals that will ensure the continued delivery of a wide range of high quality audio services for consumers. We look forward to working with the Government and the industry to implement the recommendations.

Chloe Straw, Managing Director of AudioUK said:

We are very pleased to see this important report’s recognition of the creative role that independent audio producers play. We particularly welcome the recommendation to consider an audio production tax relief, to take advantage of the growing international investment in podcasting.

As the providers of specialist audio production courses via our Audiotrain programme, we also welcome the recognition of the need to address the importance of ongoing skills provision. And as one of the organisations overseeing the successful government-financed Audio Content Fund, which is coming to the end of its three-year pilot phase, we greatly welcome the report’s recommendation for continued contestable funding in radio.

Shuja Khan, Chief Commercial Officer at Arqiva, said:

The review reminds us all how important Radio is to its audiences now and in the future. We are committed to taking the recommendations forward and excited about working with the industry to deliver a sustainable and vibrant future for UK radio.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:

The automotive industry and the broadcasting sector have enjoyed a long and fruitful collaborative relationship which, given historically high rates of radio listening in vehicles, has delivered for the end user – digital radio is now ubiquitous in new cars. There are now multiple ways of accessing content in vehicles, including radio and streaming, and with technology continuing to evolve, it would be reasonable to expect even more options in the future, so this review is a welcome opportunity to promote innovation.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Read the report.
• The Digital Radio and Audio Review was commissioned by the government in February 2020 with the objective of assessing likely future trends in listening and to make recommendations on ways of strengthening UK radio and audio.
• The review was done in conjunction with a broad cross-section of industry stakeholders and is intended to complement other work to ensure a healthy future for a thriving UK media, such as the Cairncross Review and the Ofcom Public Service Broadcasting Review.
• The review has been led by the Digital Radio and Audio Review Steering Board, composed of senior representatives from the BBC, the main commercial radio groups (Global, Bauer and Wireless), Arqiva, Radiocentre, techUK, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and chaired by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
• The secretariat was provided by DCMS supported by resources from Digital Radio UK (DRUK) and industry, with Ofcom acting as an observer.
• The coalition government launched the Digital Radio Action Plan in 2010 to provide a clear framework to develop digital radio services. The plan resulted in a major expansion of DAB network coverage between 2013 and 2018, resolving a number of network deficiencies including local DAB.
• It also led to the launch of the second national commercial multiplex, the extension of the Digital One commercial network to Northern Ireland and the launch of further local multiplexes which since 2012 have helped to support the growth of new services over the past decade.
• The joint efforts of the radio industry, led by Digital Radio UK and the automotive sector, have resulted in almost all new passenger cars now having DAB and DAB+ installed as standard, having been practically zero in 2010. ​​Digital Radio UK has forecast that 48 per cent of all UK cars in use will be fitted with DAB+ by the end of 2021, the highest in Europe apart from Norway (which switched off its national FM services in 2017).
• The Digital Radio Action Plan proposed that the earliest date that the government could consider setting a switch-off timetable for FM and AM networks was when digital accounted for at least 50 per cent of all UK radio listening. Digital listening currently accounts for more than 58 per cent of listening (Rajar Q1 2020 data – the most recent available).

On her two-day trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which began yesterday (Wednesday 20 October), she is looking to establish bilateral working groups with Gulf allies to deliver cleaner and more reliable infrastructure and much needed financing into developing and developed nations.

Truss wants more bilateral investment partnerships to drive forward the Build Back Better World Initiative, which was launched by G7 leaders at the Carbis Bay Summit in June to meet the huge infrastructure need in low- and middle-income countries after Covid.

Projects could, for example, include building water and energy networks, ports and roads.

Co-investing in infrastructure and economic development with friends and partners is a key part of the Foreign Secretary’s plan to deepen economic ties with allies and boost jobs and growth both in the UK and the developing world. The Foreign Secretary wants to explore with Gulf governments and investors how to move this ambition forward.

Her visit comes after the UK’s CDC Group, the FCDO’s investment arm, last week announced a partnership with Dubai’s DP World to modernise three ports in Senegal, Somaliland and Egypt.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

I want to work with like-minded partners to help provide clean and reliable infrastructure in the developing world.

This should be a win-win-win deal for the UK, the Gulf, and countries across Africa and Asia that will create jobs, improve lives, and benefit British and Gulf businesses operating in the region.

UK-Gulf collaboration could see experts from both countries working side-by-side, identifying opportunities for economic development in the developing world. By working together and sharing expertise, development superpowers, like the UK and some Gulf countries, can help drive economic growth and boost trade, improving the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.

Truss aims to build on the strong economic and investment relationships already in place, including with Saudi Arabia. In 2018 Saudi Arabia and the UK Government agreed £100m of joint funding to East Africa to boost jobs, economic development and sustainable infrastructure in cities.

She touched down in Saudi Arabia yesterday morning (Wednesday 20 October), where she met Minister of Foreign Affairs His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud to discuss closer cooperation on regional security, development, human rights and counterterrorism, and how the two nations can build economic links as part of the Kingdom’s plan to diversify its economy.

Truss will visit Qatar today (Thursday 21 October) to meet His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

• Prime Minister seals free trade deal with New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern 
• Boost to British exporters and small businesses as both countries ditch tariffs and cut red tape
• More opportunities to live and work in New Zealand and deeper cooperation on digital trade and climate change

A comprehensive trade agreement with New Zealand will cut red tape for businesses, end tariffs on UK exports and create new opportunities for tech and services companies, while making it easier for UK professionals to live and work in New Zealand.

The ground-breaking deal was agreed in a video call today (20th October) between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after 16 months of talks by Department for International Trade negotiators.

UK-New Zealand trade was worth £2.3 billion last year and is set to grow under the deal. The deal will remove barriers to trade and deepen access for our advanced tech and services companies, while making it easier for smaller businesses to break into the New Zealand market.

Tariffs as high as 10% will be removed on a huge range of UK goods, from clothing and footwear to buses, ships, bulldozers and excavators, giving British exporters an advantage over international rivals in the New Zealand import market - a market which is expected to grow by around 30% by 2030. High-quality New Zealand products loved by British consumers, from Sauvignon Blanc wine to Manuka honey and kiwi fruits, could be cheaper to buy. 

UK workers will benefit from improved business travel arrangements and professionals such as lawyers and architects will be able to work in New Zealand more easily, allowing UK companies to set up shop and bring the best British talent with them. Both sides have also committed to a mobility dialogue outside the trade agreement that will consider how people-to-people links can be deepened further.

The New Zealand trade deal follows advanced free trade agreements already struck with Australia and Japan and helps pave the way for UK to join Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade area of 11 Pacific nations with a GDP of £8.4 trillion in 2020.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

This is a great trade deal for the United Kingdom, cementing our long friendship with New Zealand and furthering our ties with the Indo-Pacific.

It will benefit businesses and consumers across the country, cutting costs for exporters and opening up access for our workers.

This is a fantastic week for Global Britain. On Tuesday we raised almost £10bn in investment for the industries of the future, and this new deal will help drive green growth here and on the other side of the world in New Zealand.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said:

The United Kingdom and New Zealand are great friends and close partners. The historical connections that bind us run deep.

This world-leading free trade agreement lays the foundations for even stronger connections as both countries embark on a new phase in our relationship. It is good for our economies, our businesses and our people.

The deal will provide benefits for people and businesses across the UK:

• Edinburgh’s financial and insurance services companies will benefit from greater access to New Zealand’s market and easier digital trade and business travel.

• Welsh auto companies that exported £3.4m of road vehicles to New Zealand last year will now benefit from the removal of tariffs of up to 10%, while manufacturing companies like Zip-Clip and K-form will also see the removal of tariffs up to 5% on metal goods and construction products.

• Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus, from Ballymena, will benefit from the removal of a 5% tariff on buses, helping to boost £2.4m of road vehicle exports to New Zealand last year. Textile producers such as Ulster Weavers, who exported £1.5m to New Zealand last year, will also benefit from the removal of tariffs of up to 10%.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

This deal is a win-win for two like-minded democracies who believe in free and fair trade. It delivers for families, workers and businesses across Britain, and sets the stage for greater cooperation between our two nations on global challenges like digital trade and climate change.

It is a vital part of our plan to level up the country: slashing costs and red tape for exporters, building new trade routes for our services companies and refocusing Britain on the dynamic economies of the Asia-Pacific.

Mike Cherry, Federation of Small Businesses National Chair, said:

It’s fantastic to see progress being made on a free trade agreement with New Zealand.

New Zealand has long been a priority market for UK’s small exporters – more than a quarter of which already sell there – and we welcome efforts to build on existing trade ties that go back many decades.

The inclusion of a dedicated small business chapter within this deal is very welcome, and we look forward to working with DIT to help firms of all sizes maximise this opportunity, through the myriad ways FTAs can benefit their business.

Lord Karan Bilimoria, CBI President, said:

This agreement in principle is a big step forward and will be welcomed by businesses. New Zealand and the UK are at the fore of the green trade revolution and this deal has the potential to showcase to the world that trade and tackling climate change can go hand-in-hand. This is not just about goods but also enabling fluid services trade – digital policies that underpin all industries and innovation.

With an ultimate aim of CPTPP accession and the need to retain the high standards in areas such as agriculture and intellectual property, it is essential that both sides now seal the deal so we can realise the full economic potential as we look to strengthen our recovery.

Dominic Goudie, Head of International Trade, the Food and Drink Federation, said:

Food and drink manufacturers welcome the news that the UK has agreed in principle a trade deal with New Zealand – an important partner for UK food and drink, with trade in our sector’s products worth more than £661m in 2020.

Our manufacturers will benefit from an ambitious trade deal with New Zealand that removes a range of tariffs that currently constrain exports. Significant growth opportunities exist as UK production becomes more competitive in the New Zealand market.

Background

• Source of statistics: ONS UK Trade, all countries, non-seasonally adjusted: Q1 2021 release; IMF World Economic Outlook database: April 2021 release.

• Key documents relating to the Agreement in Principle can be found here