The UK is recognised globally as a source of original ideas and associated creativity (e.g. script and character development; design of computer games concepts; development and technical production of special effects in film and TV; Artists and Repertoire (A&R) talent-spotting in music, etc). Expertise in more standard production and distribution tasks is also recognised, as evidenced by the export figures for royalties and license fees (Figure 4). This success is driven by a number of underlying factors, including:

• until recently, a relatively long period of economic success which has driven strong domestic demand for creative and cultural products;
• historic investment in world class tertiary education in colleges and graduate schools focussed on creative and design disciplines;
• the global uptake of English as the language of business and the internet;
• investment in internationally revered and recognised cultural institutions such at the BBC, British Library, Tate Galleries;
• historic strength of the copyright and intellectual property (IP) regime;
• long history of embracing multiculturalism and diversity;
• the reputation of the UK population as innovators and early adopters of technology;
• provision of a single national, dynamic media market, which enables rapid development of reputation, brands, etc; and
• favourable geographic position and time zone of the UK in facilitating global commerce.