Television Centre Redevelopment

Teddingtons closure is pencilled in for December 2014 (the last I heard, though I tend to believe these time scales when they actually happen). As for Leeds (I'm presuming YTV/Kirkstall road is being refered to) that is full of Emmerdale - Six Studio spaces now, quite an impressive set up.

Not surprised at the prices per night they are charging. I was considering going up there to see a recording and stopping overnight last July. When I looked it was £89 for the night (excl breakfast).

I was expecting to see that price for a place in Manchester city centre - not a 10 min tram (sorry..Metro) ride out from St Peters Square.

And if still alive the BBC will have closed Salford in the latest cost cutting measures and be saying how important it is for Breakfast, sport and 5 Live to be based in the heart of the capital.

Oh maybe, although I can't see them replanting them.

That will also explain why half of floor 5, the old BBC Sport floor, was repainted grey and blocked off from access.

Only one which will be the Granada Reports studio built within their office building. ITV will rent the studios owned by Peel like the BBC.

Entirely possible.

Although I may also be dead by then so will be unmoved by the decision.

Im guessing the question meant, how many studios will ITV rent permanently for the likes of Corrie etc?

I very much hope you'll still be on here posting about the good old days a la Mr Harvey.

Yep - the 5th floor was another filming location for the Doctor Who drama.


AIUI ITV have got deals on studios at Dock 10 (formerly Media City Studios aka Peel) for long running shows like Countdown etc. They've moved some of their kit which was previously in use at 3Sixty across AIUI. (Not all of the Dock 10 studios had been kitted out with galleries - so I guess it made sense)

It's not two small studios and one large one though. It's a small studio (TC2), a medium sized studio (TC3) and a large studio (TC1).

TC3 isn't a small studio...

TC3, TC4, TC6 and TC8 are largely similar in size (though TC6 has a ground floor gallery and TC8 has better audience seating preferred for sitcoms AIUI) and are the workhorse studios at TVC.

It would almost certainly have been preferable to have had TC1, TC3 and TC4 - as TC2 is quite small (similar to TC5 and TC7 - and for years all three were on long-term hire with standing sets for News, Sport and Kids) and not as commercially desirable (Watchdog was a regular show in there, and Crimewatch before it moved to Cardiff) However the South Hall is the cut-off (and TC1-3 are one side of South Hall and TC4 the other...)

It is a really depressing decision - but at least the BBC will have some decent studios left inside the M25. (There is one TC2-sized studio in Broadcasting House, but it has a permanent standing set used by BBC World News and Newsnight and is 3 floors below ground level, with very limited access, and hasn't been designed for set/strike working)

Be interesting to see how Elstree Studios and BBC Elstree Studio D prove to work. Studio D is often forgotten about - and since the BBC upgraded their support facilities at Elstree (green rooms etc.) it is a very workable space. (Sky use it for recording 'A League of their Own')

I think Westfield, plus two decent tubelines is a differentiator though. Media City is on the end of a not-very-impressive, not very frequent, not particularly high-capacity tramline (rather than the Central Line and the Hammersmith and City)... I think they are being ambitious and optimistic possibly, but equally I don't think Shepherds Bush is Salford Quays...

I wouldn't called the Hammersmith and City line "frequent" or "impressive" but it certainly has better capacity.

Seriously though, a weekend's holiday in Shepherd's Bush? I can see people flocking from across the world to visit Boots and HMV, experience the enchantment of a visit to the cinema or eat in one of Westfield's many generic chain restaurants.

I stand corrected on TC3 muddled it with another - easy mistake there. I would go a bit further than most and say it is cultural vandalism on a scale not seen since the destruction of Euston station and arch. You can build flats and hotels anywhere. TV centre is a one off. There's nothing wrong with it structurally, at least what can't be put right. It just shows what happens when you put accountants in charge ahead of creative people. Gossip has re-emerged today that suggests TC8 may survive as possible 'exhibition space' / tv studio as it is next to BBC Worldwide's set up and may want to keep it?

ITV have an effective monopoly of HQ4 in Salford for their productions Kyle/Coutdown etc but as far as I have heard no plans to use much more than that.