The Berkshire film studio bringing Hollywood magic to the UK

With the UK film and TV industry seeing record levels of growth and investment, the buzz around the new state-of-the-art Shinfield Studios has been growing for months. Now the BBC has been given exclusive access, getting a glimpse inside the Hollywood-style complex.

Shinfield Studios is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2024 and one production has already completed filming at the site.

Once finished, the studios at Thames Valley Science Park, near Reading, will comprise 18 sound stages based in a more than one million sq ft (929,000 sq m) media hub.

Shortly after receiving full planning permission at the end of 2021, the studio confirmed a Disney production would start this year.

Standing inside one cavernous, 30,000 sq ft sound stage currently under construction, Nick Smith, joint managing director of Shinfield Studios, said: "A whole variety of film and TV production will take place in here.

"Anything you can imagine that you see on screen can be made in a space this size. It's basically a huge acoustic box, it's got lots of power."

The stages provide a "secure environment where people can come and create worlds that we will see on the television or in the cinema", he explained.

"Where we're standing now, any A-lister could be filming - but what it takes to make that production is not just the people in front of the camera, it's all those behind it.

"And the crew that we have in this part of the UK working on productions are really very talented. It takes a couple of hundred people working on the sets to create that illusion, that magic."

TV production slumped during the Covid pandemic lockdown but rebounded to a new high between October 2020 and September 2021, according to the British Film Institute (BFI).

Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission (BFC), told the BBC: "The UK film and TV industry is experiencing remarkable growth - perhaps the largest in my lifetime - with demand for feature film and HETV [High-end TV] production at record levels.

"Studios across the UK have hosted some of the most successful and high-profile feature film and HETV productions in the world."

Mr Wootton said the south east was home to the UK's largest crew base that was "leading creative talent".

Increasing stage space capacity at Shinfield, and across the UK, and providing the talent and skills to meet the demand, would "help drive local and national economic growth and job-creation, enhancing the UK's reputation as a world-class destination for film and TV production", he added.

Shinfield Studios, part of Blackhall Global Partners, expects to generate around £600m a year for the UK economy.

According to research by global property consultancy Knight Frank, production budgets are also rising as streaming services compete for subscribers, boosting the demand for large-scale, high-quality facilities.

With its 18 sound stages, workshops, offices and post production facilities, Shinfield Studios will be well placed to service big-budget blockbuster film and HETV productions.

And Mr Smith believes the Berkshire hub has an advantage over existing UK studios like world-famous Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

"What they haven't done is kept up with the pace of development and change that's happening in the industry," he said.

"What we're trying to do is to construct something that's absolutely perfect for 21st Century filmmaking and long-form television."

Mr Smith said its location is perfect thanks to its proximity to London, the M4 motorway and nearby Reading.

"You can make the journey to Shinfield Studios from a West End hotel in 55 minutes, I've done it.

"And all the local bicycle networks in and around Reading and Shinfield mean you can cycle seamlessly from Lower Earley and Reading out to the studios and not encounter any other traffic.

"All of these things were quite important when we were looking for a location."

And he hopes a little dusting of Hollywood magic in the area could encourage more people to think about a career in the industry.

"It's not just actors and directors, we need a lot of people to help in all walks," he said.

A film production often needs carpenters, plasterers, electricians and even landscape gardeners, "all the people whose names you see in the credits at the end of a film", he explained.

"Whatever it is that you're interested in, you can work in the film industry," he said. "Productions are getting bigger and bigger and the ones here at Shinfield will be some of the biggest coming to the UK.

"Whether it's Disney or Netflix, Apple, Amazon or Universal and Paramount, they can all come here. We're building something to a scale that will satisfy all of them."

Dean Horne, head of Shinfield Studios operations, ran Shepperton Studios for 15 years, slowly working his way up from a studio runner, sweeping the stage.

"To be part of a project of this scale and this size, a brand new studio development from the ground up, is very exciting," he said.

There is no better job in the world, said Mr Horne, adding: "There are so many opportunities.

"It's very exciting, when the studio is operational, no day is the same."

The Berkshire Film Office said it was already working with the studios "getting local people into roles they might previously only have dreamed of".

Lily Hudson, manager of the non-profit film production resource company, said the studios "have already stimulated industry growth and further international investment".

"Berkshire is an attractive place for facilities and crew to relocate because it's quieter, with good transport links and amenities," she said. "But it's also at the very heart of the growing screen sector."