bbc studios london tour

A cultural icon reborn

The historic home of the BBC in White City is now a destination for all, with homes, offices and television studios – as well as independent restaurants and cinema. Welcome to Television Centre.

Progressive workspace with park views available now in 1 Wood Crescent

Independent cafés, restaurants and cinema

Elegant apartments and townhouses, from studios to four beds, launching in 2024

Catalyst of the bright future for this West London area

Food & Drink

Cafes and restaurants (and a Michelin star) from London’s best independents

White City House

Iconic members’ club, with state-of-the-art gym, rooftop pool and bar

World famous television studios continue the BBC’s legacy

30,000 sq ft of workspace by Soho House with hot desking and private offices

News & events

What’s happening at Television Centre

Latest News & events

13 Jun 2024

Next Door Records kicks off Television Live

Read article

Television Centre Live Returns: Sounds like summer!

25 Apr 2024

Nature’s Network – Celebrating National Gardening Week at TVC

11 Apr 2024

Television Centre welcomes temper BURGER

How to get here.

Television Centre

101 Wood Lane

London W12 7FW

Well Connected

• 12 minutes to Bond Street by tube
• 7 minutes to Paddington Station by tube
• 30 minutes to Heathrow by road
• 20 minutes to St Pancras International by tube
• 22 minutes to Bank by tube
• 32 minutes to Canary Wharf by tube
• 10 minutes to Portobello Road
• 4 minutes to Holland Park

Connectivity

• BBC Worldwide

With its London-based staff under one roof for the first time in its history, BBC Worldwide launched its new headquarters at Television Centre in April 2015.

• Television Studios

BBC Studioworks operate the famous Studios 1, 2 and 3 with recordings daily.

Television Centre's famous forecourt has been completely redesigned with new landscaping and mature planting, complementing the arrival of new restaurants, pop-ups and events for the public to enjoy. Design by Gillespies .

• Cafés and Restaurants

This new ten-storey building has 290,000 sq ft of Grade A offices has cafes, restaurants, and an independent cinema at ground level, and Soho House private members' club on the roof.

The iconic listed building around the Helios Statue contains new apartments and penthouses.

A 47-bed hotel room operated by Soho House overlooks the famous forecourt.

This new crescent-shaped building is made up of apartments and penthouses with gardens or balconies overlooking Hammersmith Park or facing new private courtyard gardens.

Duggan Morris designed new office building with ground floor café overlooking Hammersmith Park.

The site of the old Drama Block will be transformed into new apartments and townhouses designed by dRMM .

A future phase.

New townhouses with private gardens will be set around a green square, perfect for families.

A new and slender tower of modern apartments will become a local landmark across West London and gateway to White City.

This site has been reconfigured with new pedestrian route linking Wood Lane to Television Centre, and Westfield to Hammersmith Park, with shops at ground level and apartments above. Design by Maccreanor Lavington .

This new three-storey building will open as a restaurant in Spring 2019.

• Hammersmith Park

Peaceful park with tennis courts and a bowling green, children's playground and original Japanese garden from 1910 with ponds, stone bridge and waterfall – all directly accessible from Television Centre.

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London Festival of Architecture – BBC Studio Tours

We are offering people a rare glimpse of the birthplace of television with guided tours of Studios A & B . 

Towards the end of the tour, visitors will be encouraged to explore future uses of the historic space by engaging with a call to action artwork created especially for the festival by artist-teacher Alix Smith.

The BBC first arrived at the Palace in 1935, as the race to broadcast via the latest innovation in entertainment – television – gathered pace. The corporation leased the entire East Wing of the Palace, with former dining rooms transformed into studios, fitted out with cutting-edge technology; Marconi EMI in Studio A and  in  Studio B, the Baird company, competing and on 02 November  1936  the first regular high-definition broadcast  was made  – creating television as the world knows it today. 

Meeting Point: East Court

Age recommendation  16+ (must be accompanied by an adult over 21) 

Not accessible for pushchairs/prams, wheelchairs, or those with walking difficulties 

Visitors are advised to wear closed toe footwear due to uneven surfaces

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BBC Television Centre Tours

Time Out says

Half a mile north of Shepherd’s Bush Green is the BBC Television Centre where you can catch a fascinating behind-the-cameras tour around the temple of British televisual history. What you’ll see varies because BBC Television Centre is a working building, but the tour generally includes the chance to see BBC News and Weather Centre and peek into studios, including interactive ones. The children’s CBBC tour for kids over seven includes a visit to the famous 'Blue Peter' garden. Tours last around two hours and booking is essential.

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We have a range of studio facilities located in Elstree, Television Centre in White City, and Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall .

Kelvin Hall

Kelvin Hall is brand new state of the art facility, with the studio covering a large footprint of 10,500sq. You can take a tour of the facility with our virtual 360 .

Specifications

At our Elstree base we have four fully equipped TV studios ranging from 2,550 sq. ft. to 15,770 sq. ft.

Television Centre

At Television Centre our three fully equipped TV studios range from 3,430 sq. ft. to 10,800 sq. ft

All three studios at Television Centre benefit from an extensive scenic hoist system that often negates the need to hire specialist rigging companies.

The below studio plans were updated in april 2020..

Strictly Come Dancing

Having supported Strictly Come Dancing since its inception, we are currently facilitating the twentieth series (2022) of the BBC One flagship Saturday night show.

ITV Daytime Shows

We facilitate Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women from our Television Centre facility.

Events at Television Centre

Clients have access to our largest TV studio at Television Centre, TC1, within a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility

We have provided full studio and technical support to all series of BBC One's quiz show, Pointless

The Graham Norton Show

We provide full studio services to BBC One's The Graham Norton Show at Television Centre

Saturday Night Takeaway

We provide full studio and post production services for ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway at Television Centre

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Reserve Your Spot with Confidence! Full Refunds with 24 Hrs Notice. Reschedule at any point, even after tour, if space allows!

Visiting The BBC

As of 30th April 2016, the BBC no longer offers tours of the Broadcasting House.

However, the BBC Shop and Media Cafe' is still open to the public. The cafe' overlooks the BBC Newsroom which means you can still see where all the action happens!

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If you are in London for a couple of days and like to do something different, how about visiting the BBC? The British Broadcasting Corporation – better known as the BBC – is the world’s oldest national broadcasting organisation, having been founded in October of 1922. Their base in London is Broadcasting House, where they’ve been operating since March of 1932. Firstly, this was where all BBC Radio was recorded and broadcast, but was extended in 2005 and now also houses a newsroom where BBC news has broadcast live onto millions of televisions since 2013.

The building itself is a beautiful Art Deco building, with a modern wing attached at the back (this was the section added in 2005). Sitting on the top of Upper Regent Street, it is built entirely of Portland Stone and is now a grade II listed building. Londoners in their thousands walk, drive, or ride past Broadcasting House, but not many of them have actually ever been inside. However, it’s possible to make a trip to the BBC part of your holiday here in London!

How can I visit?

Visitor Information: 

Booking: Tours MUST be pre-booked in advance Dates: 7 Days a Week Times: 10:00am – 4:30pm Ticket Prices: Adult £13.75 / Children 9 – 15: £9.25 / Students: £10.25 / Families: £40.00 Nearest Underground Station: Oxford Circus Station or Regents Park Station Bus Routes: C2, 88, 453 NOTE: Babies and children under the age of 9 are not allowed onto the tour. Website: BBC Tours

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The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is back for 2024

It's time to dust off those scoring paddles and get those dancing shoes ready, because the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is back for 2024!  

Strictly legends Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood return to take up their judging seats and It Takes Two ’s Janette Manrara is back as tour host.

The Strictly Live Tour will dazzle audiences in January and February next year at arenas up and down the UK for 30 scintillating shows. Tickets will go on sale at 10.00am on Friday 22 September from StrictlyComeDancingLive.com .

The tour will open at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on 19 January for the first of five spectacular performances. Then the glitz, the glamour and the sequins, together with the all-important celebrity contestants and their professional dancer partners, will travel to some of the UK’s biggest entertainment venues leaving a trail of glitter in their wake: Utilita Arena Sheffield, Utilita Arena Newcastle, OVO Hydro Glasgow, M&S Bank Arena Liverpool, First Direct Arena Leeds, AO Arena Manchester, Motorpoint Arena Nottingham and finally The O2 in London, culminating on 11 February.

Directing the Strictly Live Tour is TV Judge Craig Revel Horwood, who will once again be creating a dance extravaganza like no other, featuring a stellar line-up of talent from the current series of the smash hit BBC show, recently named Best Talent Show at the 2023 National Television Awards. And of course, the Strictly Live Tour Band and singers will be wowing arena audiences with their show-stopping tunes and harmonies. Celebrities and professional dancers joining the tour will be announced soon. 

Strictly’s Head Judge Shirley Ballas said: “I’m delighted to be judging the Strictly Live Tour once again - there is never a dull moment alongside Anton and Craig! The audiences are always electric, the atmosphere is amazing, and Anton has promised me lots of surprises! I can’t wait for January next year when we get the show on the road!”

Anton Du Beke said: "It was my first Strictly tour earlier this year and I was blown away by the scale and spectacle of the live experience. So, I'm thrilled to be back with all the gang next year and look forward to another incredible tour."

Craig Revel Horwood said: “ What better way to start the new year than with the Strictly Live Tour! It’s going to be gorgeous to be back on the road with Shirley, Anton, and Janette. Joining us to entertain you all will be an A-MAZ-ING line-up of celebrities and professional dancers from this year’s series. And, as you would expect, we will have a few extra special surprises in store for the arena audiences along the way. One word, three syllables - FAB-U-LOUS!”

Janette Manrara said: “What an incredible way to kick off 2024! I am always so honoured to host the live tour as it brings everything that viewers love about the Strictly TV show to thousands of people around the UK. It’s a great night out for all the family - I just can’t wait!”

Strictly Come Dancing returned to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 16 September for its 21 st series with an all-new exciting celebrity and pro dancer line-up and an array of incredible dance routines. Strictly's Live Tour celebrates all the joy of the TV series, showcasing the amazing choreography and fantastic live music that Strictly is synonymous with – providing audiences of all ages up and down the country the opportunity to experience everything they love about the TV show live on stage in their hometown or city.

Not only are the arena audiences treated to the spectacular roof-raising routines, but they are also granted the power to decide who wins the coveted Glitterball Trophy at the end of each show. The tour judges will of course provide their invaluable wisdom, advice and scores at each performance - we couldn’t stop them if we tried - but the ultimate power lies with the audience. A text for their favourite couple is all it takes; their votes will decide who wins!

As with the 2023 tour, each performance will host a British Sign Language interpreter, who will be displayed on two very large screens on either side of the stage so that audiences can book tickets and sit almost anywhere in the arena to enjoy the experience with family and friends.

STRICTLY COME DANCING THE LIVE TOUR 2024

19 – 21 January             Birmingham Utilita Arena                                

(Friday 19 at 7.30pm, Saturday 20 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 21 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm)  

23 January                   Sheffield Utilita Arena                                     

(Tuesday 23 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)  

24 -25 January              Newcastle Utilita Arena                       

(Wednesday 24 at 7.30pm, Thursday 25 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)  

26 -28 January              OVO Hydro Glasgow                            

(Friday 26 at 7.30pm, Saturday 27 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 28 at 1.30pm)  

30-31 January              M&S Bank Arena Liverpool                             

(Tuesday 30 at 7.30pm, Wednesday 31 at 7.30pm )  

01-02 February            First Direct Arena Leeds                                   

(Thursday 1 at 7.30pm, Friday 2 at 7.30pm )  

03-04 February            AO Arena Manchester  

(Saturday 3 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 4 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm )  

06-08 February            Motorpoint Arena Nottingham                       

(Tuesday 6 at 7.30pm, Wednesday 7 at 7.30pm, Thursday 8 at 7.30pm)  

9-11 February             The O2 London                         

(Friday 9 at 7.30pm, Saturday 10 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 11 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm)  

Tickets: £ 35 - £ 100 (price bands differ between venues) 

All ticket prices are subject to a booking fee and may be subject to a venue facility fee

For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.strictlycomedancinglive.com

Instagram: @Strictlycomedancinglive

Facebook: /strictlylive

STRICTLY COME DANCING THE LIVE TOUR is produced by Stage Entertainment UK and Phil McIntyre Live, in association with BBC Studios.

For further media information, please contact:

Aimee Peake / Neil Reading

Neil Reading PR

020 7839 2277

[email protected] 

About BBC Maestro

BBC Maestro launched in October 2020 to phenomenal success. The first four courses attracted more than one million people to the service, with thousands signing up to learn from their favourite Maestro. Whether you are a novice or an amateur enthusiast, BBC Maestro allows you to indulge in your area of passion from the comfort of your own home and learn from the experts. Each course is beautifully filmed in 4K and offers several hours of content, broken down into 14 to 40 easily digested lessons accompanied by downloadable course notes filled with hints, tips, and a breakdown of each lesson. Brian is the latest Maestro, joining Alan Moore, Billy Connolly, Carol Ann Duffy, Doreen Lawrence, Edgar Wright, Gary Barlow, Jancis Robinson, Jed Mercurio, Jojo Moyes, Julia Donaldson, Ken Follett, Lee Child, Malorie Blackman, Marco Pierre White, Mark Ronson, Mo Gawdat, Paula Scher, Peter Jones, Pierre Koffmann, Rangan Chatterjee, Rankin, Richard Bertinet, Richard Greene, Sir Tim Rice, and Vineet Bhatia.

BBC Maestro taps into the fast-growing space of e-learning – because of the way technology has revolutionised teaching and learning, lessons no longer need to be confined to the classroom. In 2020, the number of people using online learning videos rose dramatically, with an estimated 200 million users worldwide. The global ‘Mass Open Online Courses’ market size is expected to increase from $3.9 billion in 2018 to $20.8 billion by 2023.

BBC Maestro is a commercial platform developed and operated by Maestro Media Ltd under license from BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. BBC is a trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under license.

BBC Elstree Centre

Entrance to BBC Elstree Centre, 2010

Studios at Elstree Elstree was a major centre for film production from the early days of cinema. There’s a great deal of confusion about which studios at Elstree were used for which movies / TV shows.

This page covers  BBC Elstree Centre  (also known as Clarendon Road Studios, Neptune Studios, Rock Studios, National Studios, ATV Studios, Central TV Studios).  The location has been used for movie / TV production since 1914 and has been the home of BBC Soap ‘Eastenders’ since 1985 (see below)

Unfortunately there are  no public tours of the Eastenders Sets or of the studio itself at any time .

This gritty and groundbreaking BBC soap opera has been based at the BBC Elstree Centre since day one back in 1985. The soap is based in the fictional London borough of Walford in the east end. The Albert Square permanent exterior set was designed by the late Keith Harris, the senior designer in the EastEnders production team. Extensions including a fictional Tube station have been added over the years. In 2014 it was announced that a new, 20% larger exterior set would be built for EastEnders, within the BBC Elstree Centre grounds. Following planning permission, construction work took place in 2015 & 2016 to prepare the new site. Although it was originally planned to have the new sets operational by 2018, it’s now believed that part of the set will be available from 2019, with the entire development not complete until 2020.

Tours of EastEnders:

Unfortunately there are no public tours of the Eastenders Sets or of the studio itself at any time . This has never been possible due to the production schedule and additional security concerns. Please do not contact this website about tours, as there are none available. Some BBC facilities offer tours (but NOT this location) so please check the BBC Tours website for more information. 

The Eastenders exterior sets with studio buildings beyond – Aerial photo from Windows Live Local

BBC Elstree Centre sign (2010)

More information about the facilities at BBC Elstree Centre

Other studios in the elstree area;.

• Elstree Film Studios  (also known as Shenley Road Studios, British International Pictures, Associated British Pictures, EMI Elstree Studios, Cannon Elstree Studios, Goldcrest Studios, Elstree Film & TV Studios)
• Millenium Studios
• Gate Studios  (also known as Station Road Studios)
• Danziger Studios  (also known as New Elstree Studios)
• MGM Borehamwood  (also known as Elstree Way Studios)

History of the BBC Elstree Centre site

Percy Nash and John East, early British filmmakers, built Neptune Studios at Boreham Wood, near Elstree village. Although conveniently close to London, it was far enough away from the metropolis that the air was clear of smog and traffic fumes. One of the stages was over 70 feet in length and was described as the first ‘dark’ stage in Europe as it had no glazed roof and relied totally on artificial illumination.

Neptune Studios closes due to World War 1, and the site is bought by the Ideal Film Company.

Ideal Films moves out of the premises.

Ludwig Blattner, inventor of an early sound recording system, took over the studios, making them the last in the Elstree area to be converted for sound recording.

The studios are leased by Joe Rock, an American producer, the same year as Blattner committed suicide.

Joe Rock buys the studios outright (now known as  Rock Studios ) and constructs the four main stages, still in use today as studios A-D. This major investment ensured the future use of the studios for many years to come.

The Rock Studios are taken over by  British National Films , and almost immediately, the studios are taken over by the government for war dutues. After the war British National Films continued to make films on the site, now known as  National Studios .

The studios go dark for five years.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr buys the studios. He uses the four stages to make filmed TV programmes for the American company NBC. His initial contract was for an astonishing 39 films as well as many commercials. Many of the short films made for the US market were shown in the UK as part of  Douglas Fairbanks Presents  from 1955 .

May: Lew Grade’s  ATV  purchases the former National Film Studios.

One by one the four studios are brought into use as (at the time) state-of-the-art television studios. Many classic TV series used the ATV facilities:  Robin Hood ,  Lancelot ,  The Saint  (with Roger Moore),  The Persuaders  and TV specials for stars such as Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. Later,  The Muppet Show started life here, along with  Emergency Ward 10 ,  The Plane Makers ,  The Power Game ,  Sergeant Cork ,  The Golden Shot  (game show),  Sapphire and Steel ,  Tiswas  (Saturday morning kids show) and the first 13 episodes of  Carry on Laughing .

ATV lost it’s London TV franchise and was reshaped into Central TV. Central remained at Elstree while their new facilities in Nottingham were constructed. Many staff (and much equipment) moved to Nottingham when the studios there were finished.  Auf Wiedersehen Pet  filmed at the studio in the meantime.

16th January – The official documents are signed, transferring ownership of the site to the BBC, and it’s renamed  The BBC Elstree Centre . Popular BBC shows including  Grange Hill ,  Top of the Pops  and  Kilroy  move to the new site. The backlot area formerly used as the  Auf Wiedersehen Pet  building site is used to construct the exterior Albert Square sets for  EastEnders .

19 February:  Eastenders  debuts on BBC1 television, and the Albert Square sets are seen for the first time.

Holby City , a spin-off of BBC medical drama  Casualty  (filmed in Bristol) starts filming at Elstree, using Neptune House, one of the existing BBC office buildings, as the hospital.

The Times reports that Eastenders may shift production to another location (e.g. Pinewood Studios) due to the deteriorating quality of the 25 year old sets at Elstree. The original sets were never designed for this length of run, and under the unforgiving HD cameras, the fake brickwork and wooden walls are beginning to be very obvious. >  Link to The Times article 

Eastenders is to remain at Elstree ‘for the foreseeable future’, with sets being upgraded when necessary.

Work is underway to prepare a new site slightly east of the existing location for an expanded Albert Square, with higher quality sets, some of which may be practical. Build cost is believed to be £15million. > Link to The Guardian article about the move > Link to Metro article about delays to the work

The BBC begins the process of selling the studio property to French insurance company Axa. A 25-year lease will be in place for the BBC to lease back part of the facilities to continue to film there. The purchase is due to complete in 2024.  > Link to Financial Times article about the sale

• http://www.elstree.co.uk/index.php?page=history
• http://avengerland.theavengers.tv/studios/defaut.htm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/
• http://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/bbcelstree
• http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk

Productions shot at BBC Elstree Centre