Broadcast
There's a perfect storm brewing which may leave many producers of light entertainment shows no other option than to relocate, albeit temporarilty, far outside the M25. The likely blitzing of The Fountain Studios for property development only compounds the lack of suitable large studio space for TV in and around the capital.
“[The situation] is a function of the property industry not the TV industry,” says Fountain MD Mariana Spater. “We haven't failed, but we cannot compete with land prices.”
Fountain owners Avesco Group haves sold the Wembley-based stalwart to developers Quintain for £16 million. Although the deal stipulates that Fountain can lease back the premises for up to five years, this can be terminated at six months’ notice, effectively paving the way for closure.
If rumours of ITV's sale of its south bank building (formerly The London Studios) are realised there will be a major production reshuffle on the cards.
“With penthouse apartments on the river going for £80m a shot, any studio would have to get in an awful lot of shows to get anywhere near that kind of revenue,” Spater adds ruefully.
The squeeze will particularly impact large scale shows like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, both long term live finals residents at Fountain. With LE audience-hosting spectaculars trending upwards in terms of room, the demand for laser-levelled stages a minimum 12,000 sq ft is at a premium.
However, BBC Studios & Post Production (S&PP) has done the math and reckons that by the end of 2017, broadcasters will be able to call on more studio space - even with Fountain out of the picture.
“We think there will be a net increase in space,” says commerical manager Meryl McLaren. “There is an element of panic from those worried about short term homes for shows, but over the next 2-3 years we don't think there will be a major shortage.”
The calculation bets on the revamped TV Centre (part of a £1 billion mixed use overhaul of the site) due online from April 2017 with three studios (variously 3500, 8000 and 10250 sq ft) albeit reduced from TVC's previous eight.
BBC S&PP also plans to continue to lease assets from Elstree, after consultation with clients. Strictly Come Dancing, for example, is likely to remain in situ at George Lucas 2 (a stage also used for The Voice and A League of Their Own), while the BBC's presence will be maintained at one or more of Elstree's 11800 sq ft Studio D (home to Eastenders and ITV Studios' It's Not Rocket Science) and stages 8 and 9 (both 7500 sq ft.
Both Elstree MD Roger Morris and BBC S&PP are pitching for business, like Hungry Bear's Play to the Whistle, should they be forced from Wembley.
“Studio D is perfect for Fountain-sized studio shows,” says McLaren.
“We are always talking to clients [like Syco],” says Morris, noting that George Lucas 2 “is bigger by 3000 sq ft than Fountain's” although overcoming the clash with Strictly of Saturday evening schedules may rule out The X Factor.
Pinewood is equally capable of stepping in. Its stages already accommodate The Voice and Dancing On Ice (and shows like Red Dwarf, Four Rooms) and from June another five sound stages will open, the largest at 40,000 sq ft, though lacking TX and gallery facilities.
A trio of new studios is also due to open this year at Leavesden but that hasn't stopped other complexes being sounded out about availability.
“We are getting a lot of requests from shiny floor shows,” reveals Charlie Fremantle, MD at Hayes' West London Film Studios. “We've looked at the possibilty of converting a stage into one suitable for live entertainment but the return on the investment is tricky to judge and it's not something that we plan to do at the moment. That said, we're keen to get other types of work in here and if LE show approached us we would jump at the chance and make it happen.”
Daybreak Productions' feature length drama, Churchill’s Secret recently shot there while ITV 8-parter The Halcyon has just moved in. “More and more productions are asking for 15000 sq ft or more of space – which we can cater for with stages 5 (7100 sq ft) and 6 (9400 sq ft) next to each other,” adds Fremantle.
Wimbledon Film and TV Studios is also open for dry hire of 7500 and 8000 sq ft spaces with a street set to boot. Similarly suitable for sitcom, indie features and drama, the site is not equipped for audience shows.
“Although there is a feeling that studio space is hard to come by we are not fully booked and I doubt any one else is either,” says Sarah Eccles of The Collective which manages the studios on behalf of owners Marjan TV.
As TV producers look to fill up Pinewood and Elstree, 3 Mills Studios anticipates a domino effect as more drama – like NBC's The Royals - comes its way.
“We considered investing in a TV stage but the volume of TV drama and feature work makes that more viable for us,” says studio head Tom Avison. “We are positioning ourselves in terms of high end TV and expect a knock-on in requests from producers unable to accommodate at Pinewood.”
Look further afield, Bristol-based The Bottle Yard's eight stages are also fit for drama rather than the shiny floor market. Although the studio just added a 5000 sq. ft green-screen, site director Fiona Francombe doesn't envisage enlarging further. “We wouldn't want to grow any more and be confident of maintaining our excellent level of service,” she says.
With Poldark series two just wrapped and the Deal or No Deal set under dust sheets for the mid-term, the studio is hopeful of recommissions for Trollied and Disney-ABC's Galavant.
In the longer term, more dedicated TV space is coming on stream. By April 2018 Hammersmith's Riverside Studios, closed since 2014, will be back in action with three stages, the largest of which is 6500 sq.ft with gallery suite.
Morris says Elstree plan “the ultimate designer studio” with gallery, transmission capability, integral dressing rooms and wardrobe and a “fantastic” lighting grid. The 21000 sq. ft stage is under construction until 2017.
Hertsmere Borough Council stepped in to save Elstree from redevelopment twenty years ago. The council wouldn't feel forced to capitalise on land prices by selling it for redevelopment, would it?
“We have to be able to earn money to pay our way but we deliver great revenue for Hertsmere and have almost trebled our contribution since 2008,” says Morris. “Our expansion is part of a long term strategy we have agreed with them.”
Pinewood has also put TV at the core of its £200m expansion but with shareholders, notably MediaCityUK owners Peel Group, considering a sale there must be some question over its future. Pinewood calls the process a “strategic review” and points out that unique planning permissions mean the site can only be used for film and TV.
One canny solution to the issue is simply to make more efficient use of stages. After all, when a space is empty it is not generating income. The BBC places great store by its abilty to turnaround double the number of shows (3-4) per week at Elstree and plans to ramp that up to seven a week thanks to new infrastructure it is currently specifying for TVC.
“I can't see anybody being without a home, so long as productions are flexible in terms of dates,” says Mclaren.
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