Television Studio Discussion

[Sparky]

This is (was) the ATV/Central studios that once stood in Birmingham.

Once Carlton TV took full control of Central Television; it began asset stripping.

One of the first casualties was the Birmingham Studio; "ATV-Centre".

Production at the studios began the wind down around 1989/90; with either programmes being axed, or relocated to the Nottingham site.

Carlton higher management disliked the site - claiming it was depressing, and resembled a Nazi Bunker. (Far from the actual attitude of the staff working in there, faced with either re-locating to a much smaller operation up the road, early retirement or redundancy).

By 1996, the only broadcasting from the site was "Central News", the networked in-vision links for "Childrens ITV" - and Continunity announcements, Adverts and and transmission (all from the top floor).

The building officially closed in August 1997, and everything in the building was auctioned off - equipment, furniture to toilet seats!

The final broadcasts from the building were in October 1997, with the final continuity announcements and adverts - before re-locating to a much smaller operation at Gas St.

This is the Audience entrance, once located in Central Square on the corner of Broad St, Birmingham.

The Bridge Street entrance, mainly for technical services. Familiar to Tiswas fans!

The brown wall in front (R/H side) is a rap up to the canopy, and scenery dock and access into the studios.

Transmission & Presentation was on the top floor (far end)

Film services (Lab / Editing / Preview / Dubbing) was in the basement (beneath coloured railings)

Beneath the Canopy (R/H) was a lower level garage for OB trucks.

This was the home of Bullseye - between July 1981 and sometime in 1989.

The photo was taken after the auction in 1997, from the audience POV. The Orange seating was retractable - and would pull out to create the tiered seating. This seating had been sold and removed.

At the far end (R/H side) is Studio 1A, via a large dock door - this was access from the upper level loading ramp (where the Speedboat / Caravan / Car would have come from.

Studio control rooms were on the R/H side on the level above.

This is Studio 1, taken from the opposite end, looking towards where the audience seating was (before it was ripped out).

Viewers may spot the railings on the back walkway, this is where the host would have walked along and down the steps.

Those old enough to remember "Golden Shot" - will remember Charlie Williams entering from the left and along here.

The studio control rooms are on the left where the brown square is on the upper wall.

Apart from "Bullseye" - programmes such as "Crossroads", "New Faces" (73-78), "OTT", "Miss ATV" etc, were made here.

[Sparky]

This is Studio 6 in Nottingham - where Bullseye moved into around 1989, for the rest of it's run.

Photo here was taken roughly around the time Carlton TV (spit) - closed the site in 2004, prior to it being sold to Nottingham University to extend their campus.

This studio remains very much the same today as you see here.

Studio 7 has been converted into storage space.

Studio 5 remains (just)

Family Fortunes, Price is Right, Blockbusters, Bullseye & Celebrity Squares were made here.

[Del Boy]

Many thanks for providing an insight into these famous studio's Sparky. The ATV frontage is quite an interesting design for a concrete building, I quite like it.
When built in 1970 the ATV studios were the most advanced television production facility in Europe(in readiness for the colour television revolution). 
The place had such a short life span of 27 years and it's 9 acre site has predictably been demolished to make way for housing and offices.

Great photos , cheers for the upload Sparky

[Sparky]

That is correct.

These studios were equipped with the most up to date equipment of the day. Shortly after, LWT built new studios on the Southbank (now just undergoing demolition/refurb) - which was equipped to similar standards.

Many people didn't like the ATV building - and said it looked awful.

TBH, and not being a fan of concrete eyesores - this didn't look that bad.

The rear (Bridge St entrance) - was used extensively as a Hospital frontage along with a few interiors in 2007 for the BBC1 series "Survivors".

Also - if anyone remembers the afternoon drama "General Hospital" - the top floor annexe was used as an exterior to another hospital building - as also did "Crossroads"...

The latter of course was based in the studio!

Will sort some other photos out. And will create a seperate "studio" thread.

[Dirty Epic]

All good stuff again Sparky.

Yeah seems Carlton just went with the asset strip approach when they acquired Central in the 90's. Shame really as they (and Yorkshire) should have stayed independent and were in a good position (early 90's) to be a major force in UK independent television. Would have also broken up the London/Manchester duopoly we have with British television now and just look at how poor Carlton's output was compared to that of Thames when they acquired their London Franchise post 1992.

Just out of interest doesn't ATV/Central's Alpha House have a preservation order on it? It should hopefully survive the big redevelopment works going on in and around Broad Street at the moment.

[Del Boy]

Alpha house is a listed building so will be staying dirty. 
Look forward to that studio thread Sparky 
A relative of my wife used to be an electrician at LWT on Southbank. He was telling me yesterday that when it opened a lot of stuff including equipment was in house designed and then maintained by the workforce. As the 70s went by this quickly changed as off the shelf gear was available from firms such as Sony. 

[Del Boy]

Created this thread after seeing some great photos of ATV/ Central tv studios in Birmingham and Nottingham. 

If anyone has any pictures from visits to any studios post them here. We'd be interested to see them

[Dirty Epic]

Sadly not got any pictures as I wanted to enjoy the occasion without camera phoning everything but I was in Studio One at the old Granada studio's at Quay Street in Manchester in the summer of 2017 for New Order's 'So It Goes: ∑(Νo,12k,Lg,17Mif)' gig for the Manchester International Festival.

Gig aside it was quite awe aspiring being in there (it's absolutely massive) and thinking of the stuff Granada made in there too.

Here's a pic of it from Granada's leaving party for Quay Street from the Manchester Evening News.

[Sparky]

Yes - I heard the Alpha Tower was listed.

The whole Central Arena area was a complete shambles planning wise.

When ATV wanted to move from Aston; they looked at a number of sites around the region - Nottingham, Solihul and Coventry were three of them.

Birmingham City Council (Then Tory) offered that site at Broad Street - with huge knocked down rent for about 14 years; and a lease of 99 years.

This was on the promise that ATV included entertainment facilities and provision for a large hotel, exhibition centre and a Theatre.

When ATV-Centre began construction in 1968, just after the 7 day franchise was awarded to ATV - the council (in their wisdom) announced it would be building a new Exhibition Centre (NEC) outside of Birmingham, and a new Theatre across the road (Birmingham Rep).

So - the Exhibition centre, Theatre idea was scrapped - plans re-drawn, and two cinemas included instead.

The cinema industry was at a huge slump at that time - many city cinemas converting to bingo, or closing altogether. Ironically - the studio did replace an old cinema.

So - apart from the tower and Hotel, that area remained 1/2 finished (nice big hole) for a number of years.

It was Central, who expanded the studio into this spare space in 1982; as they had taken over the Engineering Building on Broad St, to use as office space, and the proposed Exhibition Hall became a Recording Studio (Music), numerous production offices and I think some additional film cutting rooms.

It was named the "Exhibition Hall".

[Sam Tyler]

"Studio" posts have now been moved from the Bullseye thread to here. 

Sam.