Surely Stage 5 and 6 will be demolished as part of the redevelopment?
They are being retained for the use of BBC Worldwide.
Studios 4-8 will almost certainly be demolished though.
C
There's some discussion about TC8's future, as it is in the Stage IV/Spur rather than the doughnut. Rumblings that the space may be retained (though not operated by BBC Studios).
I'm quite surprised they're keeping Stages 5 and 6 actually. As noggin says, Stage 5 contains TC8 but also TC10 & TC11, which are the former N1 and N2 news studios which opened in the late 60s. I believe they've both been mothballed for a long time but are built to a good standard (they're certainly not converted office spaces!) and have scenery lifts and decent grid height etc. ISTR hearing that they'd been stripped bare however, but would it make sense for Worldwide to retain those two studios as well as TC8 to supplement the studio spaces available at TVC ? Maybe the logistics of getting scenery to those studios without the Ring Road is too difficult to keep them as production studios however... I would very much doubt if they did decide to retain TC10/11 they'd get the old scenery lifts in Stage 5 working again!
I'm quite surprised they're keeping Stages 5 and 6 actually. As noggin says, Stage 5 contains TC8 but also TC10 & TC11, which are the former N1 and N2 news studios which opened in the late 60s.
Don't go putting words in my mouth deejay! TCs 8/10/11 are all in Stage IV (aka Spur) and date back to the late 60s.
Stage V was built much later - starting in 1985.
Quote:
I believe they've both been mothballed for a long time but are built to a good standard (they're certainly not converted office spaces!) and have scenery lifts and decent grid height etc.
...ish.
The scene lifts were very unreliable by the early-00s - so much so that productions tried to keep their scenery on the 6th floor. One was permanently out of action for a very long time - and the other often got stuck. Of course they may have refurbished them since then. Just as they stopped using the studios no doubt...
Originally N1 and N2 were roughly the same size, and their doors both opened out to a small scene dock. At some point N2 (now TC11) was expanded into the scene dock (meaning N1 - now TC10) only had access through N2's studio floor. The extra floor area also had a much lower ceiling height and no pantos for lighting (as the scene dock didn't need a high ceiling...)
There are also quite strong limitations on the studio floor treatments that can be used - due to drainage (water soluble paint is used in the main studios at TVC and the water used to dissolve it can drain) and air conditioning (solvent based paint can't be used because it vents into office space currently). As a result both studios usually used Martac style sticky-backed plastic treatments - which aren't that robust.
They were good spaces for standing set type shows (Liquid News, BBC Three News, Strictly It Takes Two, CBBC Pres etc.) - but aren't that flexible.
Quote:
ISTR hearing that they'd been stripped bare however, but would it make sense for Worldwide to retain those two studios as well as TC8 to supplement the studio spaces available at TVC ? Maybe the logistics of getting scenery to those studios without the Ring Road is too difficult to keep them as production studios however... I would very much doubt if they did decide to retain TC10/11 they'd get the old scenery lifts in Stage 5 working again!
They have been stripped of technical kit AND lighting grids. Don't really see much point in using them - they're not really big enough to be that lucrative on the facilities market - and the cost of equipping them with HD kit probably would be tricky to get a decent return on.
The kit-out of TC10 and TC11 after BBC S&PP took over was very basic - with non-broadcast cameras (JVC Multicore SD models) installed (as the original customers were low-cost digital channels like UK Play and BBC Choice) I think these were eventually replaced by the SD Sony E30s that BBC S&PP used to refit some of the larger studios, but which were swiftly replaced by HD cameras.
Not sure if it's been mentioned but according to the TV Studio History website TC10 is being used for the desk segments in Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe (just as a four-waller though, it seems).
TCs 8/10/11 are all in Stage IV (aka Spur) and date back to the late 60s.