Crossing the Line, the Institute’s fourth training film, explores the themes of auditing and corporate governance through the lens of a fictional football club after it is bought by a tech CEO. 

The 57-minute feature-length drama film – written and produced by Duncan Wiggetts, ICAEW’s Chief Officer Professional Standards – was launched at a private screening at Chartered Accountants’ Hall in London last night.  

All Too Familiar, a film on anti-money laundering which ICAEW launched in 2022, won three awards at the Association Excellence Awards and has been streamed over 44,000 times. 

Duncan Wiggetts, Chief Officer, ICAEW Professional Standards, said: 

“I am delighted to have launched Crossing the Line, my fourth training film for ICAEW and my most ambitious project to date. 

“I’ve brought together two of my passions – football and film-making – to bring to life the very real decisions auditors face through the fictional stories of Scarbridge FC, a football club that has seen better days, and the tech firm Xoltic. As an improvement regulator, at ICAEW we know that there is power in using films for training, and we have produced Crossing the Line to highlight the challenges faced by auditors in a dynamic and engaging way.

“Some of the storylines are drawn from the cases we see in our monitoring and enforcement work, where some auditors are still getting it wrong, so viewers can expect to see realistic issues brought to life on the big screen.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to the cast, crew and colleagues who have been involved in Crossing the Line.”

Crossing the Line

Shot in part at QPR’s Loftus Road, Crossing the Line features a renowned cast of British television actors including William Ellis (EastEnders), Priya Davdra (EastEnders), Tim Plester (Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, After Life) and Sacharissa Claxton (Silo, Broken Bird). 

Yesterday’s launch included talks from industry experts including football finance expert and broadcaster Kieran Maguire and senior audit leaders at Grant Thornton, RSM UK and Crowe.

The film will be used as a training tool to help accountants consider some of the challenges they could face while conducting an audit. All ICAEW-registered audit firms in the UK will be able to use it for free, while other firms and organisations at home and abroad will be able to purchase a license.

The feature follows two teams of accountants as they conduct audits of listed software development company Xoltic and second-tier football club Scarbridge FC after it was acquired by Xoltic’s CEO. As the story unfolds, their paths collide in unexpected ways as the CEO wrestles with the limitations of financial fair play while trying to drive growth in a tough tech market.

Crossing the Line explores audit and corporate governance themes, including the disclosure of contingent liabilities, auditor independence, revenue recognition and external quality reviews, while football fans will recognise issues such as image rights and contentious transfer deals.

ICAEW’s previous films – Without Question, False Assurance and All Too Familiar – have been produced by the Institute to train Chartered Accountants on a range of relevant topics including anti-money laundering, professional scepticism and the role of governance. The Institute has also produced training guides and resources to be used alongside the films.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. All Too Familiar received the following awards at the 2022 Association Excellence Awards:

• Gold for Best Learning / Professional Development Programme
• Silver for Best Innovation by an Association
• Silver for Best Association Partnership or Collaboration

Our role as an improvement regulator

Our mission as an improvement regulator is to strengthen trust in ICAEW Chartered Accountants and firms. We do this by enabling, evaluating and enforcing the highest standards in the profession. 

ICAEW’s regulatory and conduct roles are separated from ICAEW’s other activities so that we can monitor, support or take steps to ensure change if standards are not met. These roles are carried out by the Professional Standards Department (PSD) and overseen by the ICAEW Regulatory Board (IRB).

Our role is to:

authorise ICAEW firms, members and affiliates to undertake work regulated by law: audit, local audit, investment business, insolvency and probate;

support the highest professional standards in general accountancy practice through our Practice Assurance scheme;

provide robust anti-money laundering supervision and monitoring;

monitor ICAEW firms and insolvency practitioners to ensure they operate correctly and to the highest standards;

investigate complaints and hold ICAEW firms and members to account where they fall short of standards;

respond and comment on proposed changes to the law and regulation; and

educate through guidance and advice to help stakeholders comply with laws, regulations and professional standards.