Interview with Matt Richards - Managing Director at Air TV For The Hangar
With award-winning series broadcast across the BBC, Channel 5, UKTV and various international networks, Matt Richards and his team at Air TV are no strangers to storytelling at scale. Based at Leeds East Airport, Air TV produces genre-defining factual programmes and digital series that combine cinematic production values with compelling real-world stories. Here, Matt shares what drives the work, why Yorkshire makes such a good creative base - and what’s next for one of the UK’s most exciting independent production companies.
The brilliant Air TV team
Air TV is behind some of the UK’s most-loved factual series. How did your own journey into television begin - and what led you to your role at Air TV?
I’ve been fortunate to have had a really varied career so far in a job which has taken me all around the world. I started as a radio and TV news reporter for the BBC after doing a degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Leeds. I then had the opportunity to work on the popular BBC series Helicopter Heroes with Yorkshire Air Ambulance, flying with them to incidents across the county. When that came to an end with the BBC, Air TV was formed by fellow directors Ian and Andy – and we continued to make a show with the air ambulance team. Ten years on, we’re now all really proud of how the company has grown into what it is today.
You oversee a huge range of productions at Air TV. What do you think makes a story truly worth telling?
People love watching real, authentic and talented people on TV - and that is what we do on all our shows. From the incredible motoring expertise of Derek, Dave and Paul in Bangers & Cash to the intense clinical expertise of the paramedics and doctors on Yorkshire Air 999, or the true passion for antiques of Angus Ashworth in Yorkshire Country House Hero – all of these people really cut through on screen to make viewers want to spend time with them week after week.
Air TV’s home is here at Leeds East Airport and Church Fenton. What made this such a great base for the team - and how does the location support the work you do?
It’s a truly unique place to run a production company and our contacts and customers are always blown away by the place when they come to visit. As well as our modern production offices overlooking the runway, we have been able to showcase lots of aspects of the site in our TV series. We worked with Dean and his team at DMB collection on Supercar Showroom for Warner Bros. Discovery, filmed Masters of Reinvention in one of the wartime sheds on site, and are now working with Yorkshire Aviation Academy on our new YouTube series First Landings. The café here is brilliant too!
You’ve filmed in some incredible (and at times unpredictable!) environments. What’s one shoot that’s really stuck with you?
One of the great things about this job is the amazing situations you find yourself in! From filming a classic car rally through the Sahara Desert to freezing engineering work in northern Canada and charity work in the Sri Lankan mountains, I’ve been fortunate to film around the world. But probably spending a year flying and filming with the air ambulance doctors and paramedics in various parts of Australia from the outback to inner-city Sydney was probably one of the top highlights!
What does a typical day look like for you - or is there no such thing when you’re running a production company?
Literally every day is different – but it’s all based on trying to support our teams to deliver the very best programmes we can. So as well as watching and feeding back on lots of telly, I also spend a lot of time developing and pitching new ideas, keeping across the latest production trends, and everything else that comes with running a company of our size.
What advice would you give to someone looking to work in television or digital media?
Go for it! It’s a truly brilliant career. Watch lots of TV and digital series in the areas you are interested in and then have a go at making things yourself. YouTube and TikTok make it easy to create your own content and get started. Then get in touch with companies that make the sorts of programmes you’re truly passionate about.
And finally - you must travel far and wide, but what’s your favourite thing being here in North Yorkshire?
This is one of the best places in the world to be based for doing what we do. Yorkshire people always come across brilliantly on TV with genuine warmth and authenticity. Then when you combine that with the incredible landscapes, national parks and coastline – as well as the vibrant cities, it is a really special place. All of team absolutely love working and living in Yorkshire and it’s a real honour to be able to capture the very best of this part of the world and share it with audiences around the world.
Click here to discover more about the exciting and immersive work Air TV do.
