Teddington Studios
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television studio
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
complex located in Teddington
Teddington
Teddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
, South-West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, and Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
along with others. The complex also provides studio space for channel continuity.
It is now part of The Pinewood Studios Group
The Pinewood Studios Group
The Pinewood Studios Group is a multinational film studio company headquartered in Iver Heath, United Kingdom...
together with Pinewood
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
and Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
in the UK, and Pinewood Toronto Studios in Canada, Pinewood Indomina Studios
Pinewood Indomina Studios
Pinewood Indomina Studios is a major film and television studio complex in the Dominican Republic.-History:Pinewood Indomina Studios was born out of a long-term agreement between The Pinewood Studios Group and the Indomina Group to build and operate a new film and television studio complex in the...
in the Dominican Republic, Pinewood Studio Berlin
Pinewood Studio Berlin
Pinewood Studio Berlin is a partnership between The Pinewood Studios Group and Studio Hamburg GmbH. The venture provides film production services and first class film and TV stages to European and international filmmakers, making it easier to take advantage of the benefits of filming in...
in Germany and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios
Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios
Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios will open in 2013 providing the Asian-Pacific with a state-of-the-art studio complex managed by The Pinewood Studios Group, whose portfolio includes Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios, Teddington Studios, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Pinewood Indomina Studios and...
in Malaysia.
History
The studio began in the early 20th century as film studios when stockbroker Henry Chinnery, owner of Weir House, Teddington, allowed filmmakers to use his greenhouse as a studio. Dedicated studio facilities were then built in the 1910s. The studio was greatly expanded by a partnership of filmmaker E. G. Norman and actor Henry Edwards, and renamed Teddington Film Studios Limited in 1931.After only one production, Stranglehold (1931), the studio was acquired by Warner Brothers to turn out so-called "quota quickies" - British-made films which fulfilled a legal quota (created by the Cinematograph Films Act 1927
Cinematograph Films Act 1927
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry.-Description:...
) before American-made films could be shown. Warner Bros.-First National continued to make US/UK coproductions at Teddington until The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower (1943 film)
The Dark Tower is a 1943 film starring Herbert Lom, Anne Crawford, David Farrar and Ben Lyon.-Plot:Stephen Torg seeks work at a struggling traveling circus. While there, a lion escapes; Torg is able to control it with his skill at hypnotism. Phil Danton , the head of the circus, is so impressed,...
(1943). One Teddington Studios production Murder at Monte Carlo
Murder at Monte Carlo
Murder at Monte Carlo is a 1934 crime film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Errol Flynn, Eve Gray, Paul Graetz and Molly Lamont. The film was Flynn's debut film in the UK...
(1934) with Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
in his first major film role, is considered a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
By the 1950s the studio's fortunes had declined, but in 1958 it was bought by Associated British Corporation
Associated British Corporation
Associated British Corporation was one of a number of commercial television companies established in the United Kingdom during the 1950s by cinema chain companies in an attempt to safeguard their business by becoming involved with television which was taking away their cinema audiences.In this...
(ABC) for use as a television studio. When ABC was replaced by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
(in which ABC's parent company had a 51% stake), Teddington Studios became the main production centre for Thames's entertainment programming (e.g. gameshows, children's programmes, dramas and comedy), while documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
shows, news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
and sports programming were made at Thames's Euston Road
Euston Road
Euston Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, England, and forms part of the A501. It is part of the New Road from Paddington to Islington, and was opened as part of the New Road in 1756...
headquarters.
After Thames lost its broadcast franchise in 1992 to Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
, the studio became independent. Without a major broadcaster or studio group owning the studios, the studios future was questioned (as Carlton was going to produce its programmes elsewhere), but it survived and stayed independent for 13 years, when in 2005, the Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
Group bought the complex for £2.7m.
TV studios and facilities
The site has 8 studios in total, as well as post production editing facilities.Studio 1
Studio 1 is Teddington's largest studio at nearly 8900 square feet (827 m²). It is a fully digital widescreen studio, with audience seating for 500, making it popular for programmes such as Harry Hill's TV BurpHarry Hill's TV Burp
Harry Hill's TV Burp is a British television comedy programme produced by Avalon Television for ITV and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. The show presents a satirical look at the week's television, including extracts from TV shows with added sketches, observational voice-overs, and guest appearances...
for ITV1 and sitcoms The Green Green Grass
The Green Green Grass
The Green Green Grass is a British sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a spin-off of the long running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness and Jack Doolan...
, After You've Gone, My Hero, Reggie Perrin and Not Going Out
Not Going Out
Not Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
(all for BBC1).
Other notable productions made in Studio 1 include Men Behaving Badly
Men Behaving Badly
Men Behaving Badly is a British comedy that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates, Dermot Povey and Tony Smart It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992...
(ITV1), Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
(ITV1), Birds of a Feather
Birds of a Feather
Birds of a Feather was a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC1 from 1989 until 1998. Starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, it was created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who also wrote some of the episodes along with many other writers.The first episode sees sisters...
(BBC1), one series of Parkinson
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
and Black Books
Black Books
Black Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
(Channel 4).
Historically, many classic series were recorded in Studio 1. These include all of Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
's shows produced by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
(1973-1980), The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
, Bless This House, George and Mildred
George and Mildred
George and Mildred is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television that aired from 1976 to 1979. It was a spin-off from Man About the House and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper...
, Man About the House
Man About the House
Man About the House is a British sitcom starring Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett that was broadcast for six seasons on ITV from 1973 to 1976. It was created and written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. The series was considered daring at the time due to its subject matter of...
and long-running light entertainment series such as This is Your Life
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
and Opportunity Knocks. The final four series made by Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
were also produced at Teddington's Studio 1 by Thames Television.
Studio 2
Studio 2 measures nearly 5700 square feet (530 m²) and has been the home to shows such as Today with Des and MelToday with Des and Mel
Today with Des and Mel was a British television series hosted by Des O'Connor and Melanie Sykes. The show featured celebrity guests, phone-in competitions and chat between the hosts. It was produced by Carlton Television, at The London Studios...
for ITV1, Kilroy
Kilroy
- People :* Alix Kilroy , one of the first two women to have entered the administrative grade of the British Civil Service by examination* Bucko Kilroy , American football player and executive with the New England Patriots...
for BBC1 and the first series of Trisha after moving to five. This studio is popular for programmes which require intimate medium sized space, like Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner.The show started in 1999. The fourteenth series...
for Channel Four.
Studio 3
Studio 3 is a much smaller studio at 2098 square feet (195 m²) and is home to many music shows productions and television commercials.Studio 5
Another small studio, Studio 5 currently broadcasts digital satellite channel, The Chinese Channel.Studio 7
Built on the site of the prop store for Studio 2, this small studio was built within weeks for participation TV channel QuizCall, whose content is produced using widescreen cameras. Recently, the studio has been used for Dick and Dom's Funny BusinessDick and Dom's Funny Business
Dick and Dom's Funny Business is a British comedy television series for children, hosted by comic presenting duo Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood...
.
Studio 8
This studio, also small, is currentlythe home of HIgh Flyer which produces Racing UKRacing UK
Racing UK Limited was launched as a subscription channel in 2004 with 30 racecourses as shareholders. As Racing UK grew several other business units and joint ventures were developed....
.