Set construction company 4Wood has become the first set specialists to move into Birmingham’s Digbeth Loc. Studios. 

4 Wood, based in Cardiff since being established in 2005, recently worked on the sets for BBC’s Doctor Who 60th anniversary episodes, including the new Tardis. Other recent credits include the BBC’s Lost Boys and Fairies and ITVX’s The Winter King.

Digbeth Loc. Studios is very much Steven Knight’s project. The multi-hyphenate West Midlander has long championed his region as a creative goldmine, with Digbeth a growing hub for the production industry.

The studio recently housed Knight’s drama This Town, about the birth of Two Tone music in Birmingham and Coventry in the 1980s. It has been reported that Knight’s feature version of Peaky Blinders will also shoot there.

Piers Read, CEO, TIME + SPACE, operators of Digbeth Loc. Studios, said: “Alongside offering world-class studio facilities in the heart of Birmingham, Digbeth Loc. Studios aims to attract industry leading production services to the region. 4Wood are amongst the very best at what they do and their background in creating training and employment opportunities in Cardiff is exactly the kind of ethos which fits our vision.”

Graham Webb, MD, 4Wood (pictured on the left of the photo) added: “We’ve been so impressed by the vision for Digbeth Loc. and the calibre of productions that they are already beginning to attract. High-end TV, feature films and, increasingly, formatted shows, are our sweet spot. So, this was too good of an opportunity to miss as we grow.”

James Thorne, creative director 4Wood (on the right in the photo), commented: “As we’ve expanded it’s become clear that producers and art directors value our ability to bring their vision to reality by building sets, almost to completion, in our own workshop and then transporting them to sound stages or locations for the final fit. With an ever-growing portfolio of work, it made sense to open a second workshop in the heart of the UK.”

Thorne continued: “Our growth plan includes training new specialists in the art of set construction, creating local employment opportunities for Digbeth Loc.’s community. We’ll be using our experience from Cardiff to encourage local trades people into the industry, starting with an open evening for the local community. More news to follow soon.”