The studio will be hired out to film, TV and streaming companies, with the project’s backers AIB also producing its own content from the facility.

Plans are in place to develop a new film and TV studio in Telford, to service Shropshire and environs.

First Central Studios will be built on the site of a currently-vacant 60,000 sq ft warehouse in the Hortonwood area, and is spearheaded by London-based independent film company AIB LIVE with BHB Architects overseeing the work.

The aim is for work to begin in late October, with the studio fully open by spring 2025. It will have four sound stages across 40,000 sq ft, production offices, dressing/make-up rooms and support facilities.

A spokesperson for AIB LIVE said: “The British film and TV industry stands as one of this country’s great ongoing success stories and we are committed to build the creative sector in the West Midlands with First Central Studios and promote the stunning locations that are readily available in this region many of which have never been shown on the big screen.”

A cornerstone of the plans is to nurture a pipeline of young talent film industry through a creation of a film academy, in collaboration with local educational institutions such as Telford College with a focus on accessibility and diversity.

AIB LIVE will also shoot its own productions from the studios, with the first being The Ghost Train, a comedy thriller directed by Frankie Caradonna, filming in January 2025 in conjunction with the heritage train company Severn Valley Railway.

For more on UK studios around the nations and regions, take a look at our latest edition of World of Studios here. To book your spot in the next issue, email sarah.keegan@mbi.london or alex.curry@theknowledgeonline.com.