School Kids Lead Dougal Wilson’s One-Take Bonanza for Channel 4

Dougal Wilson has helmed a thrilling one-take film for Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire, marking the launch of a new campaign by the channel’s in-house agency, 4creative. The star cast of the 'School’s Back' campaign are the real students of Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, where the series is filmed.

The immersive one-take film, produced by Blink Productions takes viewers on an energetic journey through the school, featuring everything from science experiments to live performances by the school band ‘Unjust Detention’. Wonderfully dramatic moments like a child being launched from a cannon and bike stunts in the playground all feature as the students ponder, 'what is a trailer?'

The involvement of Yorkshire’s schoolchildren extended far beyond their on-screen appearance in the film, instead being the driving force behind every element of the campaign. The campaign was developed through a series of 12 workshops involving over 400 Yorkshire students from Thornhill Community Academy, Lawnswood School, and Dixons Unity Academy. Pupils took on roles from script writers and actors to photographers, voiceover artists, producers and even media buyers, working alongside 4creative, Blink Productions, OMD UK, and Channel 4’s 4Studio and 4Schools programmes. It showcases the brilliance of young people and provides them with hands on experience working alongside some of the best creative talent in the industry.

Following the film launch, the work of the schoolchildren will also be seen in OOH posters live from August 25th. The youth takeover will extend to social media as the pupils temporarily run the Channel 4 TikTok, Instagram and Threads accounts. Radio ads recorded by students will feature on Hits Radio, KISS, and Spotify. Tongue-in-cheek pupil voiceovers will be replacing Channel 4’s usual on-air announcements during the campaign period. The soundtrack for School’s Back was also composed by the schoolchildren and recorded at Nave Studios in Pudsey, with the support of music agency Leland.

Revealing the euphoric highs and emotional lows of 21st century education, Educating Yorkshire first launched in 2013, with the series returning to show how life for young people in the UK has changed over a decade later. Putting pupils at the centre of the campaign reminds viewers that young people in the UK deserve to be celebrated. 4creative felt this was important at a time when the challenges that young people face are increasingly documented in public life.

The new series of Educating Yorkshire will air later this month.

Dougal Wilson, Blink Productions said, “It was great fun working with 4creative and the students of Thornhill Community Academy on this film. I loved working with the kids in all the different parts of the project - rehearsing and recording with the school band, creating a dance routine, workshopping their brilliant performances, designing our ‘special effects’, stunts and ‘big finale’ and just getting to know the personalities and talents of the children and involving them in the filming process.”

David Wigglesworth, executive creative director, 4creative, said, “The media narrative surrounding today’s kids is overwhelmingly bleak, so we felt an urgency to show the country they’re actually brilliant, funny and wildly creative. What better way to prove it than by handing them the keys to the campaign, and a metric tonne of media to play with?

The end result is everything we hoped for, full of joy, honesty and a bit of beautiful chaos.”

Miketta Lane, director, 4creative, said, “Educating Yorkshire is a commission that’s incredibly close to our hearts at Channel 4, and we’re proud to bring it back with a campaign as meaningful as the series itself. By placing real students at the heart of the process, we’re not only championing unheard voices, we’re empowering them. This is representation, collaboration, and a celebration of the next generation of talent. This is public service broadcasting at its best.”

Nic Moran, head of marketing, Channel 4, said, “With Educating Yorkshire returning to Channel 4, we saw a powerful opportunity to spotlight the heart of the series – the kids. From starring in the trailer and OOH to voicing audio ads for Spotify and testing Global radio hosts in a series of fun challenges. We owe a big thank you to the kids of Yorkshire who took part.”