[Brekkie]

I'd have expected them to sell it for more than they recently spent on the site.

Although the more they sell it for the more it would cost to lease it back.

I think if it wasn't for the new EastEnders set they wouldn't be leasing it back, even if that meant axing EastEnders.

[Ash101]

How does Axa make money out of this then? Because they cannot redevelopment the EastEnders parts of the set anytime soon as the BBC still want to use them?

Or is it more of a long term thing?

Obviously selling of TV Centre was different as they redeveloped it and the flats etc must bring in a nice amount for them.

[WillPS]

Although the more they sell it for the more it would cost to lease it back.

That would be true if they were leasing back the whole site for a full (100 year+) period. 25 years is relatively short as land leasing arrangements go, and it covers only a small amount of the total area sold.

[Stooky Bill]

How does Axa make money out of this then? Because they cannot redevelopment the EastEnders parts of the set anytime soon as the BBC still want to use them?

Or is it more of a long term thing?

Obviously selling of TV Centre was different as they redeveloped it and the flats etc must bring in a nice amount for them.

The plan is to redevelop the part of the site the BBC aren't leading back.

Unlike TV Centre the rest of the site will be redeveloped for film studio use. According to this article they've recently bought Frances biggest TV studio site. The studios will be operated by a company called Oxygen Studios

www.ibc.org 

AXA IM purchases BBC Elstree Centre | IBC
AXA IM has exchanged contracts for the acquisition of the BBC Elstree Centre in …
  Source: www.ibc.org

How they make money? Land is almost always a good investment, and they'll have income from the BBC and the new studios

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I think if it wasn't for the new EastEnders set they wouldn't be leasing it back, even if that meant axing EastEnders.

The original plan was to move EastEnders to Stratford, that probably would have seen Elstree sold off completely by now

[Stooky Bill]

I wonder what the biggest studio the BBC owns is now?
Probably outside London, Glasgow or Salford?

Depends what you mean by studio, depends what you mean by own and depends what you mean by BBC!

In most cases, including what will happen to Elstree it's like when you lease a house of flat. Someone else owns the land or the structure and you pay a ground rent. Does that mean the studios within aren't BBC studios? If you rent a flat is it not your kitchen?

TV Centre is different, the BBC kept the land but lease it to someone else who own the buildings. They then lease some of it back to the BBC

Salford is different. The BBC buildings are leased as above but the big production studios are rented

So....

TC1 is still a BBC owned studio, albeit by the commercial arm: BBC Studios, the building its in is leased by BBC Studios.

The studios in Roath Lock Cardiff are fairly big, but I think are technically sound stages. Dunno who owns them

There are big BBC Studios in Belfast and Glasgow, some owned by the public service BBC and some by BBC Studios.


I seem to remember hearing once that there only 3 sites where the BBC owns both the land and building - Broadcasting House, Elstree and what's left of Wood Norton

So if you mean the biggest studio owned by the BBC in a building on a sore owned by the BBC then it's studio B at BH

[Brekkie]

Elstree wise along with the EastEnders sets are there just the two studios - the main one and a small one attached to it? Weren't the Holby sets basically in converted office spaces?

[Earlie37]

Elstree wise along with the EastEnders sets are there just the two studios - the main one and a small one attached to it? Weren't the Holby sets basically in converted office spaces?

AFAIK EastEnders has slowly grown in spaces which weren't originally designed as studios. Most of the areas they use were more production spaces originally during the ATV era - however, they aren't what would be classified as a 'proper' studio in that they weren't originally designed for this purpose and are called stages (1,2 and 3). Studios A and B have been used for EastEnders for many years and I believe these were there from the ATV days. Studio C was used for Top of the Pops in the 90s but when they left, was turned into a four waller for EastEnders as they were running out of room for space. Increasing the number of episodes a week meant that more sets needed to be up permanently, rather than put up as and when needed. I think they're still using C to this day - yet again another ATV studio. In a way, these are not studios in the traditional sense as I believe A,B,C and Stages 1,2,3 all share gallery facilities - i.e. each studio isn't independent (unlike during ATV when A,B and C would have had their own gallery).

Studio D remains the only ATV studio which can be used for a variety of shows and gathered dust for a long time in the late 90s and 00s. It's only since the loss of studios at TVC that BBC Studios have given it more life and it's had more love given back to it... this is used for Children in Need, previous large election sets and a few other shows since 2012. It also has its own gallery which was capable of plugging into various extra kit installed in the old gallery area of C as part of their election hub infrastructure.

I believe Holby is a bit like EastEnders in that their sets weren't in any spaces which were originally designed to be studios. I think they were mostly built within the office area (aka what used to look suspiciously like Grange Hill in the early 90s ). This is also called Neptune House. I think most of these were put on the top floor so they could get the best views for window shots on the wards.

My knowledge is quite rusty though so I'm sure someone can correct me if the above is wrong!

---

There's also quite a good summary of the possible changes on the TV History website: www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk 

Elstree - ATV & BBC - TV Studio History
For those seeking information on the future of these studios, following the anno…
  Source: www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk

BBC Studioworks will leave the site by the end of the year. The new owners – AXA and Oxygen Studios – take over in January 2025. EastEnders will remain on their side of the site for at least 25 years. Sadly, it does seem likely that everything on the north-east side of the covered way including studios C and D will be demolished. How that will be achieved whilst EastEnders is recording in studios and on the lot just a few feet away is beyond me. The new owners will be building a film studio complex – how many stages is not yet known. Common sense says that they should keep C and D and use them as sound stages and occasional TV studios but hey ho. EastEnders will leave studio C in August and studio D will close at the end of September. The election ‘hub’ in the old galleries of studio C will be moved to NBH.

Studioworks will take over stages 5 and 6 over the road at Elstree Studios. Stage 5 will replace studio C as an EastEnders studio. (It’s currently basically a workshop.) Stage 6 will replace studio M as the home of Strictly It Takes Two and may be available for other shows including EastEnders for the other 8 months of the year.

[Earlie37]

Leasebacks are not unusual in industry and get the impression the studios need a bit of investment - with the BBC having long term leases in place at nearby Elstree Studios which meet their requirements better.

Sadly every penny need justifying now and it's probably an understandable decision. A 25 year lease so still a commitment there - potentially takes EastEnders through to 2049.

BBC Studioworks currently lease out some time in George Lucas 2 and longer-term lease Stages 8 and 9. Whilst the lease was extended, that was only until March this year. What they are going to now is very curious as 8 and 9 (along with 7) will be demolished this year - www.bbc.co.uk  - so they will no longer be available.

Elstree sound stages to be demolished over asbestos and Raac - BBC News
The stages at Elstree, where Star Wars and Indiana Jones scenes were filmed, wil…
  Source: www.bbc.co.uk

That removes two studios out of their portfolio. With Elstree D also potentially going by September, that will be three less for hire. ITV are long term bookings in TVC 2 and 3. So unless you count their studios in Glasgow, apart from Studio 1 in TVC, they aren't going to be able to offer much themselves for quite a while.

George Lucas 1 and the new Platinum Stages are too large for the BBC to lease as suitable replacements so it's very curious what they're going to do with a much reduced studio estate. It may mean that the BBC will inevitably have to hire from other companies as and when required (e.g. Riverside, 3 Mills). LH2 is also too large - especially when they already have George Lucas 2. May mean a lot more going up to Salford and giving money to Dock 10.

[Brekkie]

Some interest snippets in there including ATV looking to win the ITV Breakfast franchise (with Sunrise 1.0) and base it there then C5 in 1994 too.

[thegeek]

TC1 is still a BBC owned studio, albeit by the commercial arm: BBC Studios, the building its in is leased by BBC Studios.

The studios in Roath Lock Cardiff are fairly big, but I think are technically sound stages. Dunno who owns them

There are big BBC Studios in Belfast and Glasgow, some owned by the public service BBC and some by BBC Studios.


I seem to remember hearing once that there only 3 sites where the BBC owns both the land and building - Broadcasting House, Elstree and what's left of Wood Norton

So if you mean the biggest studio owned by the BBC in a building on a sore owned by the BBC then it's studio B at BH

I think you may be confusing BBC Studios (the commercial, programme-making arm of the BBC) with BBC Studioworks (the commercial, studio-operating arm of the BBC). Which is an easy mistake to make, as you'd kind of assume that a company called Studios would operate television studios. BBC Studios' HQ is also in Television Centre, but in the bit that used to be the News Centre.

The studios in Pacific Quay in Glasgow are run by BBC Scotland - ie the public service arm of the BBC - under the brand BBC Street. BBC Studioworks wanted to take these on, but things got quite political so they stayed in house. They also run the drama base in Dumbarton (home of River City, but it's also popped up in things like Shetland) but I think this is technically a sound stage. Elsewhere in Glasgow, Studioworks have a new studio at the Kelvin Hall, though the building is owned by the council.