South Gloucestershire councillors tour Patchway Studios

Earlier this week Patchway Studios welcomed a visit from South Gloucestershire councillors to view an active television production set and discuss the potential for local economic development from growth in local film and television production.

Patchway Studios is currently the home of filming for the Sony and ITV series The Winter King. Created by Bad Wolf Productions, this epic 10-part series is an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles based on Arthurian Britain and directed by Otto Bathurst (His Dark Materials, Halo).

TV and film production in the UK is booming thanks to the recent surge of inward investment into feature films and HETV (high-end television). Unprecedented demand for production space in the South West is driving demand to the regions as streaming services continue to increase their UK production spend, which has risen from £2.85 billion in 2016 to £5.64 billion in 2021 and is forecast to continue this trajectory.

Bristol is becoming a leading UK production hub due to its convenient location close to fantastic locations in the South East and Wales and highly skilled crew base. The city provides strong support to the industry through the Bristol Film Office and in 2017 was designated a UNESCO City of Film. Patchway Studios is currently reviewing sites to expand its already successful local studio operation in north Bristol.

Patchway Studios and Bad Wolf welcomed a visit from Toby Savage (Leader of the Council and Cabinet member for local economy), Brian Hopkinson (Charlton and Cribbs ward councillor) and council staff responsible for economic development to discuss how the local community can tap into this growth to drive job creation and skills development.

Industry experts have expressed positive and encouraging feedback about the potential of the Patchway Studios expansion. Retro-fitting plans for the current site will be underway by summer of this year.