A great show tonight and im glad Take That have made a comeback.
Yes it was! Most interesting to see Studio 1 at The London Studios being used yet again to great effect - it seems that it can accomodate most shows big or small and somehow squeeze quite a big set like tonight into that relatively small space. Very good.
Was that Studio 1? What other programmes come from that studio then?
Pretty much everything light entertainment that TLS have - Ant & Dec's Takeaway, Parkinson, Family Fortunes to name a few recent ones. Studio 2 tends to be more for small chatshows or even children's entertainment like when SMTV was in there.
Don't forget that most of the Alright on the Nights also came from Studio 1.
So too did Play Your Cards Right (80s and 90s versions), Game for a Laugh, Surprise Surprise, Beadle's About, Blind Date...
It seems that The X Factor and the other forerunners to it were filmed at Fountain Studios, at Wembley, which I think used to be the studios of Rediffusion and then London Weekend until 1972.
There are some sources on the Net which do say that The X Factor, etc, HAVE been filmed at The London Studios, but apparently that's not the case.
Don't forget that most of the Alright on the Nights also came from Studio 1.
The later ones came from Maidstone didn't they? Or Meridian?
Other than those which were filmed on location - Utterly Worst (unknown), Cockup Trip (Great Cockup), 21 Years Of AOTN (the Bermuda Triangle) and AOTN 11 (Theatre Royal at Haymarket) - most were recorded at the London Studios. During 2002 some editions were made at Manchester and between 2003-4 Northam Studios at Southampton was used.
Most of the Laughter Files were also made at TLS with two filmed on location (LF4 in LWT's offices and LF5 in an easyEverything internet cafe) though, as with AOTN, some of the editions between 2002-4 came from either Manchester or Northam. In fact, one of the Laughter Files (no.11 IIRC) was the last show to be made at Northam before it closed.
Two interesting snippets - I'm told that the 21 Years of AOTN special wasn't actually filmed in the Bermuda Triangle while LF5 was the last of the on-location shows. ITV apparently weren't too happy with the look of it when it aired, and asked for a return to the studio-based format.
I'll quote from an email that I got from Simon Withington a few months back when I emailed him to ask why some of the shows were recorded away from London:
"The story behind Manchester and Meridian [being used for recording later AOTNs and the Laughter Files] is monetary.
"Granada owns both those studios and the production costs outside of London are much more beneficial to the production. Especially a show like AOTN which doesn't need to be based anywhere in particular.
"The previous producer Paul Lewis took his later shows to Manchester and when I took over I chose Meridian as I felt the production facilities were both better and closer. So thats the story. We were actually the very last show to be recorded at Meridian before that studio closed down. I have the farewell VT somewhere.
"The most recent shows returned to The London Studios. Back where they belonged!"
I'm pretty sure The X Factor does come from The London Studios, you know.
You're wrong.
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I'm pleased for you if you are right!
Has it (and Pop Idol, etc) not come from The London Studios in its life?
Nope sorry, Pop Idol was also at Fountain. It's an awful long run to take up Studio 1 at The London Studios, especially near Christmas when a flurry of ITV festive shows are recorded there. Also, X Factor and Pop Idol are massive shows which like to have a stadium tour kind of set - obviously not of exactly the same magnitude, but as close as you can get in a TV studio enviroment and Fountain seem to have it down a note. Mr Cowell seems to favour them too.
Pop Idol 1 & 2 were both at Teddington. Popstars was at The London Studios.
I'm pretty sure The X Factor does come from The London Studios, you know.
You're wrong.
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I'm pleased for you if you are right!
Has it (and Pop Idol, etc) not come from The London Studios in its life?
Nope sorry, Pop Idol was also at Fountain. It's an awful long run to take up Studio 1 at The London Studios, especially near Christmas when a flurry of ITV festive shows are recorded there. Also, X Factor and Pop Idol are massive shows which like to have a stadium tour kind of set - obviously not of exactly the same magnitude, but as close as you can get in a TV studio enviroment and Fountain seem to have it down a note. Mr Cowell seems to favour them too.
Pop Idol 1 & 2 were both at Teddington. Popstars was at The London Studios.
Does that include Popstars the Rivals as well? I seem to remember their studio looked a bit like the Pop Idol one?
I'm pretty sure The X Factor does come from The London Studios, you know.
You're wrong.
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I'm pleased for you if you are right!
Has it (and Pop Idol, etc) not come from The London Studios in its life?
Nope sorry, Pop Idol was also at Fountain. It's an awful long run to take up Studio 1 at The London Studios, especially near Christmas when a flurry of ITV festive shows are recorded there. Also, X Factor and Pop Idol are massive shows which like to have a stadium tour kind of set - obviously not of exactly the same magnitude, but as close as you can get in a TV studio enviroment and Fountain seem to have it down a note. Mr Cowell seems to favour them too.
Pop Idol 1 & 2 were both at Teddington. Popstars was at The London Studios.
Pop Idol 1 & 2 were recorded at Teddington in the early studio stages, but as the live studio shows came about and a big audience was brought in it moved to Fountain for it's main studio stages.
