This is an archived website which has not been updated since 2002.
Some information may be inaccurate or out of date.

Television Studios

Additions are made to this list as time and information permit. Corrections and contributions will be most appreciated! Some of this information was first aired in MHP-Chat, to which and its contributors all due acknowledgement is given.  


BIRMINGHAM, ALPHA STUDIOS

Jointly owned by Associated TeleVision Ltd and ABC Television Ltd and their only joints studio facility. I'm not sure whether ATV actually took over Alpha or whether there was some other arrangement whilst the Paradise Centre was being built. The idea for the studio sharing was supposedly decided one evening in the dining car of the train from Birmingham to London between Howard Thomas and one of the ATV directors (probably Val Parnell), and undoubtedly saved both of them a great deal of money, particularly early on. The name comes from the common letter in the company names. [Jeremy Rogers]


LONDON, BATTERSEA STUDIOS

Opened around 1970 by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) following conversion, from an old school, to a central studio for making educational television programmes. Two large studios fed closed-circuit programmes over rented Post Office coaxial cables to schools all over London. Sold by ILEA to a management buy-out during the 1980s and run afterwards as a facilities house. Finally closed early 1999, with a view to redevelopment of the site.


LONDON, HIGHBURY STUDIOS

The Highbury Studios were demolished in 1960. A block of flats occupies the site. The location was 65A Highbury New Park, Islington. The studios were built originally as a music conservatoire in 1890, then a recording studio in 1926 for the Piccadilly label. Then they became in 1933 Highbury (film) Studios and finally HDF. [Dicky Howett]


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