The National Lottery has launched its first docu-series, Because of You, fronted by Claudia Winkleman in her new role as the Lottery’s Ambassador-in-Chief.
Produced by The Gate Films and directed by Emmy Award-winner Leo McCrea, the series highlights how National Lottery players help transform local communities across the UK.
Media planning and distribution is being handled by Hearts & Science, spanning nationwide cinema, social media, and online video.
The launch marks a new creative phase for Allwyn UK, which took stewardship of The National Lottery in 2024 from Camelot UK, its operator since the Lottery’s inception in 1994.
Now in its second year of stewardship, Allwyn has completed the biggest technology overhaul in UK leisure and hospitality, upgrading its ticketing and retail systems for major partners.
It has also trialled new consumer initiatives including dedicated self-service terminals in selected stores and non-ticket Lottery purchases designed to support sustainability.
The first Because of You film, Bloom, follows Winkleman as she visits a women’s and non-binary community garden in Sheffield alongside local Lottery player Tanita. The project has received £269,000 in Lottery funding over four years, growing from a three-person allotment into a social sanctuary supporting more than 50 people a week.
“Everyone plays to be in with a chance of winning a life-changing prize,” said Winkleman, best known for Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors and The Piano.
“But we are revealing the unwritten story of the difference National Lottery funding makes in every community, in every corner of the country. Your play is literally making a difference to the lives of millions of people every single day, and I cannot put into words the gratitude and happiness I saw at every single project.
“I want to share with the nation a small insight into the difference you make each and every time you buy a ticket – thank you, this is all made possible because of you.”
Steve Parkinson, Marketing and Brand Director at Allwyn UK, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Claudia as The National Lottery’s Ambassador-in-Chief. Her fantastic ability to listen and create emotional connections means she is the perfect person to give a voice to these most human of stories.
“The Because of You films are an authentic articulation of the amazing things that happen when players buy a National Lottery ticket. As Claudia explores, the £30 million raised every week for Good Causes enables brilliant projects to be run by extraordinary people and change real lives in communities across the UK.”
Since its launch in 1994, The National Lottery has raised over £50bn for more than 650,000 Good Causes, generating around £30m every week.
Upcoming episodes will showcase projects including a wheelchair rugby club in Wales and a farm supporting people with disabilities in Northern Ireland, continuing Winkleman’s nationwide tour of Lottery-funded success stories.
https://lotterydaily.com/2025/10/20/marketing/national-lottery-beleive/