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Fountain Studios To Close

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MA
Markymark


Has there ever been a show that has ended because the studios have closed, and not the other way round?


Pebble Mill ? Very Happy (Only joking, the show ceased long before the studios closed, but I think it was one of the few (only) UK programmes using its studio/location as its name ?)
SP
Spencer


Has there ever been a show that has ended because the studios have closed, and not the other way round?


Pebble Mill ? Very Happy (Only joking, the show ceased long before the studios closed, but I think it was one of the few (only) UK programmes using its studio/location as its name ?)


The one that springs to mind for me was Central's short-lived rival to Pebble Mill, called Gas Street.
VM
VMPhil
I'm


Has there ever been a show that has ended because the studios have closed, and not the other way round?


Pebble Mill ? Very Happy (Only joking, the show ceased long before the studios closed, but I think it was one of the few (only) UK programmes using its studio/location as its name ?)

Unless you count Brookside Close!
NG
noggin Founding member
Out of interest, does anyone know an average price for hiring a studio?

Apologies for being a little vague.


Not really - hiring something like George Lucas or TLS Studio 1 will be very different to hiring something like Princess or TLS Studio 7. The average is pretty pointless.

You'll also pay different amounts depending on how many cameras, how many EVS channels, how much sound kit etc. are needed. (I'm ignoring staff costs as most shows these days will use freelance crew in all but engineering roles)
IS
Inspector Sands

Pebble Mill ? Very Happy (Only joking, the show ceased long before the studios closed, but I think it was one of the few (only) UK programmes using its studio/location as its name ?)

I'm sure there was an arts show called Riverside once, also a BBC Manchester your programme called The Oxford Road Show. And on Radio 4 there's Broadcasting House

If you count those that mention the location in their name then there's been loads - Live From Her Majesties, Live from The Palladium etc.
IT
IndigoTucker
Crossroads' failure, particularly the awful Yvon Grace reboot, is often cited as the reason for Lenton Lane's closure. That said, a lot of stuff made at Nottingham got the chop around that time.

Crossroads Mk2 at the end was relatively successful ratings- wise towards the end... But there is thought that the Yvon grace reboot was a deliberate attempt to give a reason to cancel Crossroads and close Lenton Lane. Remember, the complex was mammoth, and built for full-scale production inhouse - news gathering, film processing, music recording studios, dubbing,set construction, continuity, playout, and BIG studios.
After crossroads, it took until Paul O Grady at 5 until ratings recovered.
JA
james-2001

I'm sure there was an arts show called Riverside once


There was, but funnily enough only the first series was actually made there, but it still kept the name!
AN
Andrew Founding member
Crossroads' failure, particularly the awful Yvon Grace reboot, is often cited as the reason for Lenton Lane's closure. That said, a lot of stuff made at Nottingham got the chop around that time.

Crossroads Mk2 at the end was relatively successful ratings- wise towards the end... But there is thought that the Yvon grace reboot was a deliberate attempt to give a reason to cancel Crossroads and close Lenton Lane. Remember, the complex was mammoth, and built for full-scale production inhouse - news gathering, film processing, music recording studios, dubbing,set construction, continuity, playout, and BIG studios.
After crossroads, it took until Paul O Grady at 5 until ratings recovered.


I wasn't aware that Nottingham studios were so big.
Even back in the 80s and 90s weren't Central a bit over resourced, having two large bases in the region? Usually of an ITV region had a second base it was generally quite a small affair, like Granada in Liverpool?

Although during the same period, was the Birmingham facility, that you'd assume to be the HQ, actually much smaller?
Where did Central & Carlton Central continuity come from?
:-(
A former member
To kept this simple, Brum was dieing towards the 80s and by the early 90s plans were afoot to move it smaller place. At point in time all Network shows had moved to Notts.
NG
noggin Founding member

I wasn't aware that Nottingham studios were so big.
Even back in the 80s and 90s weren't Central a bit over resourced, having two large bases in the region? Usually of an ITV region had a second base it was generally quite a small affair, like Granada in Liverpool?

No - it was more like TVS having decent studio centres in both Northam and Vintners Park.

Important thing to remember is that ATV (which kind of became Central) and had the franchise before Central had a major production centre at Elstree. Which was outside the Midlands / East Midlands region. The IBA effectively forced ATV to move from that operation to one within the region, and the result was Central. There was a commitment for Central to be based within the region, and like TVS, a commitment to have more than one large base.

The big difference between Central and Granada was that Central had multiple transmitters - so could also do split regional news (as they did - and as TVS did too)
BO
boris78
Think Central and TVS's franchises were advertised as dual-regions, which explains the two production bases.
:-(
A former member
Think Central and TVS's franchises were advertised as dual-regions, which explains the two production bases.


So was HTV.

That never stopped Thames or STV have two studios complexes

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