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Fountain Studios To Close

Home of X Factor may soon be no more (January 2016)

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HC
Hatton Cross
With a week of striped live shows, I'd say a West End theatre (dark - in between productions) could be an option.
Or stage R, or S at Pinewood - it's big enough.

32 days later

GO
gottago
Broadcast says The X Factor will likely be the last show to be recorded at Fountain as they will no longer take bookings beyond December. The studios will be wound up on the 28th February.
DE
deejay
Sad news indeed. Another prime tv production facility being sold off for retail and housing land I assume? Wembley has a long association with ITV, actually being one of the original studio centres in 1955, and it's well worth reading the page about it here
http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/studio%20history.htm#wembley%20rediffusion

The current huge studio used by XFactor and BGT (which is actually two studios with an enormous dividing wall which can be raised up and out of the way to make a space bigger than TC1) was added by Associated Rediffusion in 1960.

21 days later

WH
Whataday Founding member
Has there ever been so much demand for the studios that (once split) the two smaller studios have been in use at the same time? Or is the selling point more for if you require a smaller/larger studio?
JB
JasonB
I was at Fountain Studios two weeks ago for a recording of Tipping Point Lucky Stars. Can't remember what studio number it was in but there was certainly limited seating from when it was filmed at The London Studios.
BC
Blake Connolly Founding member
Series 2 and 3 of Taskmaster were made there, in a studio re-creation of the Clapham Grand theatre, where the first series was recorded. Supposedly it was cheaper to do it that way!

97 days later

DA
Davidjb Founding member
Does anyone know where X Factor & BGT will re-home to yet once Fountain has closed?
BR
Brekkie
Nothing confirmed yet. I wouldn't be surprised to see BGT move to a non-TV studio venue considering they can just move in for a couple of weeks and then move out, but obviously for The X Factor it's a different story. How much smaller is the main studio at the London Studios?
DA
Davidjb Founding member
I did wonder about X Factor at TLS but then when you think how Saturday Night Takeaway feels in there I don't think it's big enough to suit X Factors needs and probably isn't available for long enough. TC1 at Television Centre might be big enough but I'm guessing Strictly Come Dancing might move back in there when it comes online again. Unless they hire out somewhere like eXcel in East London which has been rumoured before the Fountain closure surfaced.
BR
Brekkie
There were reports (or at least rumours) that Strictly didn't want to return.
DA
Davidjb Founding member
I'd be kind of surprised if Strictly didn't return to TC1. Not really sure what other shows would want such a large studio in this day & age.
WH
Whataday Founding member
If Strictly moves back to TC1, I'd imagine X Factor will go to Stage 2 at Elstree. That's the only studio I can think of which is the size of Fountain.

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