The National Coal Board's film unit was formally established in 1952 as part of the NCB's The Plan for Coal. By 1959 around two-thirds of production was being handled in-house. The NCB Film Unit closed in April 1984, a victim of the contraction of the industry at the hands of an unsympathetic government.

Island of Coal was issued in 1963 and, according to the BFI, it was 'An account for children of the origin of coal, the history of mining and its present day uses. Intended for Saturday morning cinema clubs'.