Bovingdon Airfield Studios

We’ve already constructed the majority of our North Hub production facilities - watch the video and read our new article about our additional development plans: https://lnkd.in/eHxxHBHW     Filming has taken place at Bovingdon since the 1960s, and now almost all the Phase One major infrastructure is complete. We have four sound stages, 12 workshops, a massive production pad, brand new production offices, plentiful parking, and an on-site cafe. And the plan is to keep building and rapidly add more facilities over the coming years.     We're also building a different kind of studio, in a different way:     👉 As we’re independent and family run, we’re able to adopt a more flexible construction approach, enabling us to adapt our design to best meet filmmakers’ needs.     👉 We’re preserving the backlots, to provide a unique space with a great combination of premium interior production facilities combined with 60 acres+ of multi-surface exterior backlot space. The best of both worlds.     👉 We're also preserving the historic significance of our site, with sustainability and the local community firmly in focus. Progressive preservation is key.      Read our article to learn more about how we’re developing to meet the needs of the UK film and TV industry - and get in touch with Harvey Mash or Jo Lawlor to book a tour of everything already in place!  #Bovingdonairfieldstudios #MadeatBovingdon #filmlocation #filmmaking #filmindustry #filmproduction #filmstudios #tvproduction #uksoundstages

Not because it’s a ‘day’, but because they’re brilliant every day #Bovingdonladies Jo Lawlor | Kirstie Evans | Sarah Bradbury

MovieScreens Ltd your screens look so impressive! Always great seeing them on-site with us. Fantastic drone shots as well across the runway and airfield - plenty of space for you!

Over the past few weeks, members of our team have had the chance to see Dancing on Ice live, and we’re always impressed by the logistics of staging a live show - on ice - every weekend. Now that we’re well into the current series, we thought we’d share some behind-the-scenes facts about this much-loved production.   A Custom-Built Studio for Ice:   🏟️ ITV Studios Bovingdon was built specifically to house the large, interconnected ice rinks - 3 in total.   🏟️ The studio space meets extreme demands – an exceptionally strong weight-bearing floor, a 15m high ceiling, and enough space for 700+ people including a live audience on show days.   🏟️ Reportedly the longest LED screen in Europe curves around the rink to create immersive virtual backdrops, minimising physical props on the ice.  🏟️ The show's Creative Producers have a lot of freedom, thanks to the vast space and high-tech infrastructure.  🏟️ Skaters train up to 6+ hours daily in the studio, with 3 rehearsals each weekend day and then the final live show on Sunday evening - making it a creative and logistical hub. Cameras, Cameras - Everywhere:   🎥 Cameras are positioned all over the studio, from a rail-mounted system running the length of the show rink, to high above the ice where multiple crew members must climb up and remain throughout live shows, and crucially on the ice itself.   🎥 A dedicated ice camera operator skates alongside the performers while filming, never appearing on screen.  🎥 He memorises 8-13 routines per week, tracking dancers, camera positions, lighting, and shadows to capture seamless, cinematic shots.    The Science Behind the Ice:   ❄️ The rinks require 19km of piping, 90,000 litres of water, and 3 giant chillers to maintain the perfect ice surface. As soon as the final show wraps, the chillers are turned off, and the ice begins melting almost immediately.  ❄️ To ensure crystal-clear ice, warm water (not cold!) is used, and two layers of white mesh are built into the ice to improve camera visuals.  ❄️ A custom-built filtration system removes chalk from the water to make it purer than rainwater, ensuring Olympic-level skating conditions.  ❄️ Pro skaters and the judges, including Torvill & Dean, call it the best ice in the country - thanks to constant laser depth checks, thermal scans, and 24/7 maintenance.  ❄️ The rinks undergo a complete reset every Monday and Thursday, using a pressure pump to drop 6,000+ litres of water in 30 minutes for fresh ice.   This setup makes Dancing on Ice one of the most technically complex and visually impressive live TV productions. You can read more about the show here: https://lnkd.in/erpMcWA3 Make sure to catch all the remaining episodes every Sunday on ITV1 and ITVX from 6:30 pm until the series finale next month! #dancingonice produced by Lifted Entertainment - part of ITV Studios

We’re really happy to have sponsored and supported Ed Jackson and Ross Stirling’s Karaoke Car Pull Challenge for Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M) a month ago to the day. How amazing that they set a new world record for the longest duo car pull on our very own runway!  30 miles pulling a 1-tonne Kia, raising £14,000, all completed early in only 22 hours (the goal was 24).    The story behind the challenge and M2M is remarkable. A UK-based mental health charity, it was founded by former professional rugby player Ed and his wife Lois after his life-changing spinal cord injury in 2017, which initially left him quadriplegic. Despite being told he might never walk again, Ed defied the odds through intensive rehabilitation and regained the ability not only to walk but climb mountains – and even pull a car a record-breaking 30 miles in 22 hours!  Inspired by his journey, M2M supports individuals facing physical and mental health challenges through tailored development programmes, helping them rediscover purpose and rebuild their lives. 👉 Read more about their work: https://lnkd.in/eP7fJ2E7 👉 Watch their video: https://lnkd.in/e53TF3d5. 👉 Read more about the car pull on our runway: https://lnkd.in/embU7S9w #charity #mentalhealth

❄️ We always know that after the fun of Christmas and NYE, we still have our favourite time of the year to look forward to in January – Dancing on Ice time! ️⛸️    Dancing on Ice has been filmed in its custom-built ITV studio at Bovingdon Airfield Studios since 2018 and hits our screens again this weekend. Tune in to ITV, STV and ITVX this Sunday 12th January at 6:30pm for the start of Series 17. This will be the 8th series filmed with us here at Bovingdon.    Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern are both back to present, and the judging panel will see the return of Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo, and Oti Mabuse (fresh from the jungle!). This year’s celebrity contestants include Ferne McCann, Michaela Strachan, Sir Steve Redgrave, Charlie Brooks, Anton Ferdinand, Josh Jones, Sam Aston, Chelsee Healey, Dan Edgar, Chris Taylor and Mollie Pearce. Sadly, Paralympic Grand Champion Dame Sarah Storey – who was also due to take to the ice this year – was forced to pull out of the competition after fracturing her ankle. Last year’s winners were actor Ryan Thomas and skating pro partner Amani Fancy, beating Made in Chelsea’s Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer in a particularly dramatic 2024 grand finale – which saw fellow finalist athlete Greg Rutherford pull out on the day itself owing to injury.     Dancing on Ice is such a great example of top-tier UK TV production at its very best. The immense effort behind the scenes is remarkable, from creating and maintaining the ice rinks (there are 3 including the tunnel!), to filming extensively on the ice itself – and with a live TV audience. Tune in this Sunday and every Sunday evening until March’s finale! If you want to read more about behind the scenes on the show, read our article - written with huge thanks again to ITV Studios Bovingdon: https://lnkd.in/erpMcWA3     #BovingdonAirfieldStudios #MadeatBAS #itv    Photo credits: ITV / Lifted Entertainment

💥 Happy New Year 2025 from all of us here at Bovingdon Airfield Studios 🎉 🥂🍾  #HappyNewYear

It's nearly the end of 2024, so we’re looking back at some of this year’s highlights:   ✨ Our 2024 film credits, including Apple’s Masters of the Air, Deadpool and Wolverine, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (Season 2), A Quiet Place: Day One, and others!   ✨ Our team grew again early in the year with the amazing Jo Lawlor joining to manage sales and marketing, working with us alongside Kirstie Evans expertly directing all our ops, Lloyd Kissiedu keeping us and all our productions secure (day and night!), Jordan W. making sure everyone has everything they need on-site, Rosie Conibear managing finances, Sarah Bradbury working on marketing, Gary Cullum on PR and comms, Maria Alina Mihu keeping us well catered for at Base One Café - and many others in their extended teams. We're extremely grateful to everyone for all their hard work this year. ✨ 2024 kicked off with the 16th series of Dancing on Ice and Ryan & Amani crowned winners in March, and we’re looking forward to the new series starting on 12th January 2025. Read our BTS article on the making of ‘the best show on ice’ in preparation for everyone getting their skates back on in the New Year: https://lnkd.in/erpMcWA3 ✨ We’ve been particularly sociable in 2024(!) - attending dinners at BAFTA, Production Guild Awards, WFTV Awards, and giving our Televisual Bulldog Award for Best Drama One-Off or Serial a couple of weeks ago to series creator and star Richard Gadd, and Producer Matthew Mulot, for their brilliant ‘Baby Reindeer’. It’s been great seeing plenty of familiar faces this year and catching up, as well as meeting so many new people. Looking forward to what’s coming in 2025... Merry Christmas from all of us!    #Christmas2024 #NewYear2025

Did you know that we also have Christmas film credits? Take a moment this festive period to rewatch ‘Last Christmas’ starring Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, and Michelle Yeoh. Inspired by the classic Wham! song and featuring plenty of George Michael music, it’s a heartfelt (literally?!) romantic comedy with an intriguing Christmas twist... And did you know that filmmaker Marc Hamill directed a modern version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ which filmed here, featuring David Hardware as Scrooge? Which reminds us of a question that came up in our Christmas party quiz last week... How many ghosts are there in A Christmas Carol? Answers in the comments below 😄.  Luke Skywalker also popped up in our quiz as it happens, but that’s the other Mark Hamill 😉. Happy festive viewing this Christmas! ❄️ 🦌 ⛄️ Photo credits: Alamy #Christmas2024 #LastChristmas #AChristmasCarol

🐾 It was a real highlight of 2024 for us to attend the Televisual Bulldog Awards Winners’ Dinner this week. Harvey Mash and Jo Lawlor gave our Bulldog Award for Best Drama One-Off or Serial to series creator and star Richard Gadd, along with Producer Matthew Mulot, for this year’s phenomenal 'Baby Reindeer' from Netflix and Clerkenwell Films.    Congratulations also to all the other winners, especially our tablemates 3 Mills Studios who joined See-Saw Films for their Best Drama Series win for Slow Horses. Thanks also to James Bennett and Televisual for hosting such a special, intimate and deluxe evening for everyone – bringing us all together at this festive time of year to celebrate the very best of British Television.     Here are some of our favourite photos, with more here from Televisual: https://lnkd.in/ezggC_Rt Gold opulence and splendour very much defined the night! ✨   #TelevisualBulldogAwards #Awards2024