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Lime Grove Studios: Difference between revisions
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{{real world}} | {{real world}} | ||
'''Lime Grove Studios''' was a "lot" of studios | '''Lime Grove Studios''' was a "lot" of studios housed largely in a single building located on Lime Grove Street in the Shepherd's Bush district of the [[London]] borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. | ||
==Site history== | ==Site history== | ||
Lime Grove dates to 1915, when it was built by Gaumont Films. It was originally constructed with glass ceilings above the sets, because the studios used no artificial lighting. This was soon seen as impracticable, however, and the site switched to internal lighting in 1917. It underwent a couple of construction projects in 1927 and 1932-33, but these were the last innovations brought to the site's physical plant.<ref>[http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/old%20bbc%20studios.htm#lime Unofficial Lime Grove history site]</ref> By the time, the BBC bought it in 1949, it was therefore already an aging property. | Lime Grove dates to 1915, when it was built by Gaumont Films. It was originally constructed with glass ceilings above the sets, because the studios used no artificial lighting. This was soon seen as impracticable, however, and the site switched to internal lighting in 1917. It underwent a couple of construction projects in 1927 and 1932-33, but these were the last innovations brought to the site's physical plant.<ref>[http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/old%20bbc%20studios.htm#lime Unofficial Lime Grove history site]</ref> | ||
By the time, the BBC bought it in 1949, it was therefore already an aging property. Indeed, the BBC initially acquired it as a "stopgap" facility for use only until the new [[BBC Television Centre]] could be completed. Nevertheless, it continued to be used well after the opening of Television Centre, much to the dismay of producers like [[Verity Lambert]] who had accepted the challenge of filming there only on a very temporary basis. The site was closed in [[1992]], however, outlasting the original run of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/in_depth/buildings/lime_grove.shtml The BBC Story]</ref> | |||
==Relevance to ''Doctor Who''== | ==Relevance to ''Doctor Who''== | ||
Lime Grove Studios were the predominant studios used to film ''Doctor Who'' during the early [[William Hartnell]] and most of the [[Patrick Troughton]] eras. They were used for [[principal photography]], and as such would have been | Lime Grove Studios were the predominant studios used to film ''Doctor Who'' during the early [[William Hartnell]] and most of the [[Patrick Troughton]] eras. They were used for [[principal photography]], and as such would have been a primary workplace of Hartnell, [[Carol Ann Ford]], [[William Russell]], [[Jacqueline Hill]]. [[Frazer Hines]], [[Wendy Padbury]], [[Deborah Watling]] and Patrick Troughton. They were also the first workplace of [[John Nathan-Turner]] on the program, who was a floor assistant on the single episode of ''[[The Space Pirates]]'' which was shot at Lime Grove. | ||
The studios were notably hated by [[Verity Lambert]],<ref name=SSAz>[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/f.html Shannon Sullivan's description] of the recording of ''[[The Aztecs]]''</ref><ref>Verity Lambert comments on the DVD release of ''The Aztecs''</ref> both for their size and lack of facilities. One of her principal technical ambitions was to get ''Doctor Who'' shifted out of the cramped quarters of Lime Grove. She eventually succeeded in the second season, but only because [[Sydney Newman]] himself threatened to stop making ''Doctor Who'' unless better facilities could be found.<ref>[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/g.html Shannon Sullivan's exploration] of ''[[The Sensorites]]</ref> Thus, for all but the last six months of Newman's contract with the BBC, ''Doctor Who'' was mostly recorded at [[Riverside Studios]]. | |||
There is little evidence, however, that ''Who'' returned to the Grove because Newman's grip was relaxing. It was more a matter of practicality. Lime Grove was within walking distance of Television Centre. This was of course deliberate, because Lime Grove was meant to be a staging ground as most BBC productions shifted into their new offices at Television Centre. After a time, though, it became clear that Lime Grove was going to be kept operating for the indefinite future. Given this fact, programmes like ''Doctor Who'' could use both facilities with relative ease. Thus, ''Doctor Who'' returned to Lime Grove in the Patrick Troughton era specifically because it allowed for easier scheduling. However, [[Innes Lloyd]] was no happier about this than Lambert had been; if anything, he found Lime Grove even more antiquated than she had.<ref>[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/hh.html Shannon Sullivan's exploration] of ''[[The Moonbase]]''</ref> Almost all of the Second Doctor's stories had their studio days split between Lime Grove and Television Centre. ''Doctor Who'' remained bouncing between these two studios until it finally bid adieu to Lime Grove D with the first episode of ''[[The Space Pirates]]''. | |||
==Various studios within Lime Grove== | ==Various studios within Lime Grove== | ||
