This project in Digbeth, Birmingham is for a purpose built new TV studio for the iconic MasterChef TV show. It includes the extension and refurbishment of grade II listed early Victorian warehouse in Warwick Bar conservation area. It features multiple soundstages in various configurations in addition to workspace for pre & post-production operations.

The film studio is the first step in a wider masterplan which will see the regeneration of the 20-acre Warwick Bar site into a thriving creative quarter including over 900 new homes. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has been instrumental in bringing this project forward. The intention is that Digbeth will become a major destination for UK film and TV production. We were involved in the project since its inception, helping to identify the site and securing planning permission. We have also been involved in the later stages of construction, as the building nears completion.

The studios are set to support 750 local jobs and will also act as a catalyst for further regeneration in the area. Also, the creation of the new Digbeth film studio comes as the BBC moves forward with plans to move their Birmingham HQ to Digbeth in a purpose-built broadcast centre which will be known as The Tea Factory.

Construction is set to complete in autumn 2024. Following this, the BBC and MasterChef producer Shine TV (part of Banijay UK) will commence filming at Digbeth Loc. Studios. The ambition is for all MasterChef series to be filmed in Digbeth for the foreseeable future. Consequently, moving the MasterChef brand and its four titles to Birmingham is part of the BBC’s Across the UK strategy.

Client: Stanhope / Mercian International

Value: £6.5M

Status: On-site & due for completion in 2024

_{Images courtesy of K4 Architects / BG Projects}