News of a £700 million investment in a new film studio that could create 4,500 jobs could hardly seem more incongruous at the end of a global pandemic that is still causing chaos in the economy.

It almost seems too good to be true. Traditional television channels and cinemas now vie for viewers with online and streaming content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Disney, not to mention social media.

But an application has also been submitted for a second studio at Bovingdon, with Warner Bros. in Leavesden also looking to the future.

Read more: Location of new £700m film studio for Hertfordshire revealed

Read more: Second filming studio could be built on airfield

Our appetite for entertainment shows no sign of diminishing, although we may now download our binges rather than turn to the box sets of a few years ago.

Some might fear the new studios will compete with existing facilities in Elstree and Leavesden, but in an industry where many are self-employed, having more opportunities for work can only be a welcome thing.

See also: New Warner Bros. stage set to change film making process

Andy Warhol may or may not have said “in the future, everybody will be world-famous for 15 minutes”.

But whether we want to be on television, in a film or just sit back and enjoy it, somebody needs to hold the camera, operate the microphone, write the script, do the make-up and even wheel the tea trolley, and if those jobs are in Hertfordshire it can only be good for all of us.