Broadcasting House, Salford Quays & TVC

I don't think we'll know until there is one. I would imagine there are a number of scenarios - and it's too early to say which one will happen.

The BBC have said today they don't plan to fully vacate TVC until 2015, and BBC Studios remains their preferred studio supplier until 2015 (though that doesn't mean TVC will be running a full studio operation then)

The next election could have happened by then...

Using TLS would be an option, a handy short distance from Westminster too. I don't know how many lines and circuits in and out the place has since LNN and the STC moved out ?

Although, I've visited four of London's studios in my capacity as a studio audience member. From my perspecive living 40 miles South West of London:

TVC Train to Waterloo, then tube to White City (one change). A bit scary coming back at 23:00hrs


TLS : Train to Waterloo, then 7 min walk. Doddle, but not nice having to walk to Waterloo back after dark.

Fountain: Drive to Hillingdon at end of M40, and park at the tube station. Then slow but straightforward tube trip to Wembley (avoid Saturdays with a football match though !)

Teddington. Forget public transport. Hour's drive, and easy to park in local streets. Nice area

Teddington isn't the best for public transport but it's at least got 2 or 3 stations a bus ride away. I'd have thought it would be a bit risky hoping to park around there, there's not that much parking around. How does Pinewood do with getting audiences for their programmes, isn't that in the middle of nowhere?

When Weakest Link was at Pinewood, they had an audience made up of production team members and their friends, and some family of fellow contestants who were able to make the journey. I'd flown down from Edinburgh so didn't have anyone there. The audience were told to wear black - which was easier to manage given that most of them were on salary.

Pinewood's normally a tube to Uxbridge and then a cab from the station, not especially easy to get to.

I once got turned away from a very heavily oversubscribed recording of The IT Crowd there (got a priority ticket for the following series) and about 15-20 of us random audience members decided to make the best of the long journey and shared a few cabs back to the pub!

Does TLS have any on-site satellite downlinks or do they use 3rd parties? Suspect the BBC would want access to RAMAN.

Technically I'm sure Pacific Quay would work - but can you imagine having to move an entire production team up there?

In reality - BBC News have been spoiled by having TC1 available and made available to them as a priority.

The sets they've used in the past have been so huge and had so much IT and TV production kit in them (including two mini galleries one year) that the cost of hiring a 3rd party studio to achieve the same result would be huge (and would need availability) Either that or they have to change radically what they do and how they do it.

There's an article in the latest issue of Ariel that says BBC Studios & Post Production which rents out the studios in TV Centre is now a profit making business. TV Centre is still used a lot. I think the best outcome of the sale would be a joint venture with the BBC, where a couple of the studios would remain and the rest of the land is developed.

I think it would be silly to complete leave the TVC. Having TC1 available for the BBC to use anytime would be very advantageous for them. They should definitely keep some studios and sell the rest.

Would PQ have capacity for them? One gallery handling the BBC Scotland election prog and the other potentially doing BBC Alba. Would using a scanner as a drive-in be an option for an election prog?

I don't think they've ever bothered with an election night programme for BBC Alba, have they? I think last time they just used the break in the English language broadcast?

That is the plan isn't it - to ensure that there's still the ability to make programmes in studios there.

I'd imagine it would be a little difficult to just leave a couple of studios as it was originally a single building of 7 (?) studios. Of course some could be utilised for other uses if need. The value in the site are all the outlying buildings, it's a big site and the famous circular studio block is only a part of it