Data released for UNBOXED

Download the press release "Data release for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK" (PDF)

• UK-wide programme of ten major commissions achieves audience of 18 million through live, digital and broadcast
• Delivered across the four nations of the UK, the programme sets a new model for cultural programming, with investment in cross-sector creativity and collaboration
• 1.7 million young people and families have taken part in UK-wide learning, volunteer and participation activities
• More than 6,000 jobs and paid development opportunities have been supported across science, engineering, technology and the arts 

UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, today announces data setting out the impact of its entirely free programme of ten major commissions delivered across the four nations of the UK in 2022. Designed to be accessible and inclusive to all, UNBOXED has brought people together at live events throughout the UK, and through digital and broadcast content, achieving an audience of over 18 million. The announcement marks the close of the live programme at the weekend.

Live events have been attended by 2.8 million in 107 UK-wide locations featuring thousands of individual community events; 13.5 million have engaged with content commissioned for broadcast and digital platforms – a number that continues to grow; and 1.7 million have taken part in learning, volunteer and community participation activities. Many of the locations throughout England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are towns, cities and rural areas less well served by major cultural programmes.  The programme has explored important new ideas and possibilities for the future, from sustainability to the power of the human mind, to innovative new ways of storytelling.

Learning, volunteering and public participation opportunities, throughout the UK and online, include school trips, lessons, assemblies and workshops, poetry and coding competitions, community growing initiatives and citizen science projects. Schoolchildren and families have taken part in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) activities that were linked to the curricula in each of the four nations.

UNBOXED has contributed to the UK’s creative landscape through investment in research and innovation and by supporting more than 6,000 employment and paid development opportunities. The programme has explored new ideas through a unique cross-sector collaborative approach to programming that featured funded research and development during the pandemic, supporting many creative organisations and freelancers through that period.

Creatives from science, technology, engineering and the arts (STEAM) have been supported to design and deliver the programme from neuroscientists, astrophysicists, computer programmers and structural engineers to poets, musicians, artists and set designers to create pioneering projects. Young and emerging creatives have also been given access to training to develop their professional skills and gain valuable experience.