Birmingham makes Channel 4 HQ shortlist

The city made it through to the final stage of the contest to choose a new home for the broadcaster, where it is up against Greater Manchester and Leeds.

Coventry, which was initially part of the bid as a creative hub, failed to be selected.

Channel 4 plans to move 300 staff and hundreds of millions of pounds of TV programming out of London as part of plans to broaden its scope.

The locations for the new headquarters and two creative hubs will be announced in the autumn. Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow are left in the running to be hubs.

The national hq will include a state-of-the-art studio that will be used to produce programmes and events, as well as live broadcasts.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who put the region's bid together, said he was 'disappointed' Coventry was not selected, but called on the region to 'get behind Birmingham'.

"If we are successful in attracting the HQ, the benefits will be felt across the West Midlands," he said.

“The West Midlands is the natural choice for Channel 4. Our unrivalled connectivity, the diverse and young nature of our population and the strength of our creative and digital economy mean we have a really compelling case for Birmingham.

“Now we up our game and find another gear as we continue discussions with the broadcaster ahead of the final decision.”