BBC Studioworks reopens TC3
The Jonathan Ross Show became the first production to film in the refurbished studio on 4 February
BBC Studioworks has reopened its TC3 studio after a significant technical and operational push to bring the space back into use.
The first programme to be filmed in TC3 since it reopened is The Jonathan Ross Show, which filmed on 4 February. It was also coincidentally the first programme to film with BBC Studioworks (originally in TC1) when Television Centre originally reopened in 2017.
ITV Daytime previously exclusively occuped TC3 and its surrounding ancillary and production areas, with Good Morning Britain and This Morning filming there for eight years.
Once the space was handed back, the Studioworks team had just four weeks to completely turn the studio around, stripping out years of bespoke daytime infrastructure and rebuilding it for a brand-new slate of productions.
The turnaround involved a full technical reset, from lighting grids and rigging to power, sound and production workflows.
Tim Wood, head of Television Centre, BBC Studioworks, explained the works undertaken to get the studio ready in time. He said: “When ITV Daytime moved in we adapted the building to meet their accommodation requirements, re-engineered how the technology of TC2 and TC3 worked, and installed equipment and services that was non-standard to the rest of our studios.
“Both TC2 and TC3 had standing lighting rigs, essentially locking the hoist system in place for 8 years. Over the course of ITV Daytime’s occupancy, as their shows developed, further alterations were made, including the removal of the audience seating rostra in TC3. These adaptations made the studios and supporting areas excellent, almost purpose built, for producing the ITV Daytime shows, but difficult to provide the flexibility required for the quick turnaround and diverse types of projects that TVC needs to support. So, all of this needed to be reversed, and brought back in line with our other studios.
“However, this also gave us an opportunity to reimagine and develop, so the TC3 we now have is the best it has ever been.”
CHALLENGES
Wood says that one of the challenges they found during the rebuild was accessing the hoists. He said: “They hadn’t moved for 8 years, but we couldn’t get access to them and test before all the set was clear, leaving it late in the project window to rectify any faults. There was also the plumbing to en-suite dressing rooms that had been removed and long since build over.”
“The last ITV Daytime transmission was on 31 December, and we needed to be ready in TC3 for The Jonathon Ross show to record on 4 February. And all the work needed to happen alongside ITV Daytime moving out themselves, and without interrupting continuing shows in TC1 and TC2. It was only achievable due to the incredible in house teams we have at Studioworks, across all departments, who can come together with a shared understanding of the studios and the requirements.”
Following the return of the Jonathan Ross Show, BBC Studioworks has confirmed that The Claudia Winkleman Show, The Last Leg and QI will also be housed in TC3.
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