“Tom Cruise is probably one of the biggest investors in the UK economy over the past decade,” joked UK Culture Minister Chris Bryant this morning, as he urged the creation of more British IP.

Bryant was referencing the fact that Cruise’s smash Mission Impossible movies are filmed around the UK, thereby contributing millions to the local economy.

He may have had his tongue in his cheek when referencing Cruise’s contribution to the economy but used his quip to make a wider point about local IP.

“I don’t want all the IP to simply go back to the West Coast of America,” Bryant said at the Edinburgh Television Festival. “I’d like some IP to remain here so we can continue making investments and having strong UK production companies making [shows and films] specifically for a UK audience or a wider audience. I’ve been trying to make [the argument for] that mixed economy.”

Strengthening the UK production sector would help freelancers, Bryant added. He is currently putting together the job description for a new freelance champion for the industry but said in future he’d like the proportion of freelancers to fall so that more people can be secure in their work.

“I’d like our small to medium sized production companies to become bigger indies that have a sufficient number of ideas on the go,” he added. “The kind of ambition I’d have for the sector is that they would be bigger and could provide continuity of employment.”

Bryant said his government department is “very supportive” of CIISA, the new anti-bullying body that we revealed earlier this week is not being funded by big players like Channel 4 and Disney.

Bryant was in conversation at Edinburgh with Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne. Adolescence was the subject of heated debate yesterday after a leading Channel 4 executive said Netflix had behaved like “TV tourists” for commissioning the show.