The Leeds Studios
Encyclopedia
The Leeds Studios also known as the Yorkshire Television Studios or YTV Studios is a television production complex
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...

 on Kirkstall Road
A65 road
The A65 is a major road in England. It runs north west from Leeds in Yorkshire via Kirkstall, Horsforth, Yeadon, Guiseley, Ilkley and Skipton, passes west of Settle, then continues through Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria....

 in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...

 had proposed to close the studios in 2009, however later in the year had a change of mind and instead decided to refit them as high definition studios.

Background

The Leeds Studios are the home of Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...

 and is now owned by ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...

. As well as being the main studios for Yorkshire Television, the buildings also act as administrative headquarters for ITV Yorkshire, although smaller offices in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 and Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

 are also used.

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...

 programmes produced there include: 3-2-1
3-2-1
3–2–1 was a popular British game show that was made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, between 29 July 1978 and 24 December 1988. Throughout its run, the show was hosted by former Butlins Redcoat Ted Rogers. It was based on a Spanish gameshow called Un, dos, tres.....

, My Parents Are Aliens
My Parents are Aliens
My Parents are Aliens is a British sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television and later Granada Productions for CITV about an eccentric family, which was produced as seven annual series, first broadcast in 1999 and ending in 2006...

, Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...

, The Royal
The Royal
The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot....

, Heartbeat, Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with...

, Bruce's Price is Right and A Touch of Frost
A Touch of Frost (TV series)
A Touch of Frost is a television detective series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV from 1992 until 2010, initially based on the Frost novels by R. D. Wingfield....

. Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...

was regularly made for 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...

 here until April 2009 (when it moved to The Manchester Studios) as was Win My Wage
Win My Wage
Win My Wage was a British daytime game show produced by Yorkshire Television for Channel 4, presented by Nick Hancock. Each day a contestant had to decide which of eight strangers earned the highest annual wage. The contestant would use facts given about each of the strangers in order to eliminate...

, a new gameshow for Channel 4 made by independent company Hotbed Media in 2007. The studios were also home to Through the Keyhole
Through the Keyhole
Through the Keyhole was a British panel game, hosted by Sir David Frost where panellists are given a video tour of a mystery famous guest's property and attempt to identify them. As of 1996, it is produced by David Frost's own production company, Paradine Productions at The Leeds Studios , and has...

, (which began as a YTV production on ITV, but was later made by David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...

's company Paradine Productions for Sky1 and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

) and were used for the interior shots on hit comedy The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen are a group of British comedians formed in 1995, best known for their radio and television series.The League of Gentlemen may also refer to:* The League of Gentlemen ,...

and medical drama Bodies
Bodies
Bodies may refer to:* The plural of body* Bodies , BBC television program* "Bodies" , 2003 episode of Law & Order* BODIES.....

(both for the BBC). The revived Bullseye on Challenge was also recorded at the Leeds Studios as was the 2006 series of Mastermind
Mastermind
-In psychology:* Genius* Mastermind , one of the 16 role variants that the Keirsey Temperament Sorter is based on* INTJ , a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-In games:* Mastermind, classic board game...

, due to the closure of The Manchester Studios for the removal of asbestos at the time.

The front of the main studio buildings have, in the past, acted as the main entrance to Hotten General in the serial drama, Emmerdale.

History

The studios were built on slum clearance land on Kirkstall Road
A65 road
The A65 is a major road in England. It runs north west from Leeds in Yorkshire via Kirkstall, Horsforth, Yeadon, Guiseley, Ilkley and Skipton, passes west of Settle, then continues through Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria....

, purchased from the former Leeds Corporation
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...

.

Construction commenced in early 1967: A mild winter aided building work and by mid-1968 studios one and two were equipped for transmission (studios three and four being completed by early 1969). The studio was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent
The Duchess of Kent is the title given to the wife of the Duke of Kent.Five women have held the title:* Jemima , daughter of Thomas Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, first wife of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent...

 on 29 July 1968. It was the first purpose-built colour television production centre in Europe and cost over £4 million to build and equip (at 1968 prices). Colour cameras were initially Marconi
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...

 Mk7s and EMI 2001
EMI 2001
The EMI 2001 Broadcast studio camera was an early, very successful British made Plumbicon studio camera that included the lens within the body of the camera. Four 30mm tubes allowed one tube to be dedicated solely to producing a relatively high resolution monochrome signal, with the other three...

s. Both of these cameras were in use by Yorkshire until the early-mid 1980s. Some studios in The Leeds Studios used Marconi cameras, the other used EMI cameras. In 1976 the cameras in studio 3 were replaced with the Philips LDK 25 models.

During the 1970s, one set was used as a synthetic
Synthetic ice
Synthetic ice is a solid polymer material designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates. Rinks are constructed by interlocking panels...

 ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...

 when not in use for filming.

The regional news show Calendar
Calendar (News)
Calendar is a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ITV Yorkshire at its studios in Leeds, serving Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and parts of the North Midlands and North West Norfolk...

was produced at the centre for many years but in 1989 was moved to a dedicated newsroom and broadcast facility based in a converted swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

 next to the main studios. The Calendar Studios are now considered to be part of the main complex, and are separated from the main studio building by Studio Road.

Studios

Studio Size (sq ft) Year opened Original cameras Notes
1 not stated 1968 Marconi Mk VII colour Shared facilities with studio 1A. Studio no longer operational.
1A not stated 1968 Marconi Mk VII colour Shared facilities with studio 1. Studio no longer operational.
2 1,225 1968 Marconi Mk VII colour Studio no longer operational.
3 4,430 1968 Marconi Mk VII colour Famous as the Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...

set.
4 7,650 1969 EMI 2001 Often used for drama series, has also been used for Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...

and snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...

.
Calendar not stated 1989 unknown The Calendar studios are in the adjacent Calendar building (officially 104 Kirkstall Road).


There other studios in adjacent buildings, some owned by ITV plc and others being independent, however none of these studios were purpose built. A notable one which is not run by ITV plc is Studio 81, which is particularly large at 16,000 sq ft (230 ft x 70 ft) and used for the filming of single-camera dramas.

Dramatised use

Over the years the studios, in-particularly Studio 4 have been used for filming fictitious television programmes, mostly for Yorkshire Television. These series have included Heartbeat, The Royal
The Royal
The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot....

, Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with...

, Married Single Other
Married Single Other
Married Single Other is a British television drama created and written by Peter Souter. The series is based on the lives of group of people who are either married, single or "other", other being defined as in a relationship. It began airing on Monday 22 February 2010 at on ITV1 and UTV...

, Fat Friends
Fat Friends
Fat Friends is an ITV drama , following a group of overweight people, their laughter and pain and addresses the absurdities of dieting in our modern age. The drama looks at people and how they relate to one another and use body weight as an excuse for all sorts of failings in their relationships,...

, A Touch of Frost, Bodies
Bodies (TV series)
Bodies is a BAFTA-nominated British television medical drama produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. Created by Jed Mercurio, the series began in 2004 and is based on his book Bodies. The first series debuted on BBC Three as the channel at this time was trying to break out into hour-long...

and Where the Heart is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...

. Fat Friends used set an episode at the Leeds Studios and used non-studio areas of the complex for filming.

The adjacent Studio 81, has been used recently in the filming of Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights (2009 television serial)
Wuthering Heights is a two-part ITV television serial adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The episodes were adapted for the screen by Peter Bowker and directed by Coky Giedroyc...

and the Red Riding Trilogy.

Other uses

The site is now home to advert and regional programme playout for ITV plc's northern transmission areas (although this is now managed, along with its southern counterpart, by Technicolor Network Services http://www.technicolornetworkservices.com/pdfs/TNS_20061219_ITV.pdf) and a number of independent producers. The production facilities are marketed as The Leeds Studios and sister companies ProVision, Film Lab North and The Finishing School occupy adjacent buildings. While Prism also have set up studios in an older building adjacent to the complex. Radio Aire and Magic 828
Magic 828
Magic 828 is the AM sister service of Radio Aire and broadcasts to West Yorkshire on 828 kHz.-History:Magic 828 began when Radio Aire split its AM & FM frequencies to form two different stations...

 occupy radio studios set up adjacent to the Leeds Studios in the early 1980s, making the lower end of Kirkstall Road arguably a small media quarter.

Proposed downsizing

In March 2009, ITV plc announced that the Leeds Studios were to be downsized to try and save costs following a reported loss of £2.7 billion for 2008. When interviewed on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

 over the proposed closure of much of the studios, the then ITV plc chairman Michael Grade
Michael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...

 said simply 'We Move on'. Screen Yorkshire stated an interest in taking over any parts of the complex that were to be mothballed. Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supports the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, environment and infrastructure...

 looked at the possibility of funding a takeover of the studios but subsequently withdrew their plans.

New investment

In December 2009 however, ITV plc announced plans to renovate the studios to high definition standard, moving production of Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...

to the main Kirkstall Road building. ITV Yorkshire have expanded into occupying a nearby office block, situated near the Finishing School.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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