Bafta-winning TV dramatist Kay Mellor said it would be “tragic” if Bradford lost its National Media Museum as she backed the Telegraph & Argus campaign to save it from the axe.

The screenwriter, who set and filmed her BBC1 series The Syndicate in the city, said she had visited the flagship museum on many occasions and urged people to continue to support our bid to keep it open.

She told the T&A: “I think it would be devastating for the people of Bradford and Yorkshire. They would be taking away the very thing we need.

“The National Media Museum is a source of great pride to me when it opened. I thought it was wonderful it was in Bradford. To think that it could be taken away is quite depressing.

“It would be tragic. We must not let it happen.

“It’s a landmark and I can’t imagine Bradford without it.”

Earlier this month, the museum’s parent company the Science Museum Group warned one of its three Northern museums – including the National Rail Museum in York and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester – would have to close if The Chancellor George Osborne slashed its funding by ten per cent.

But the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is now believed to have struck a deal with the Treasury to help it escape the worst of the cuts.

Despite that, the T&A yesterday reported how the Science Museum Group is still refusing to confirm whether the museum has been saved even though Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has insisted there was now “no reason” it should close.

Leeds-born Kay, who spoke of her love of filming in Bradford, said she believed the museum’s funding should be increased and future generations would be thankful if it remained open.

“I think it’s just amazing. I’ve been there lots of times, for many reasons. I have been to see many films there, from arts films to Bond films.

“It has a fantastic cinema. I’ve been to TV Heaven many times.

“I think it’s significant because of the fact it’s something outside of London. It’s in the heart of the city and is one of those places that puts Bradford on the map.

“It’s really important to Bradford and it must be saved.”