Pinewood Studios TV department to close down next year

Pinewood Studios will be closing its TV department next year – and will no longer be the host of enduring popular shows such as Would I Lie to You or Taskmaster.

The studio played a key role in producing memorable and classic British TV including The Last Leg, Red Dwarf, The IT Crowd, and The Weakest Link, among many others.

Pinewood has also been the home of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Not Going Out.

These legacy shows ‘will go on’, but they will be based elsewhere, impacting the career opportunities locally.

A production manager in Pinewood’s TV department, Paul Lobban, told the Express that though there has been a noticeable decline in commissions for new shows, the studio hoped it would pull through.

Though there was a dip in activity around COVID, there was some recovery afterwards and potential growth. It is normal for there to be a waxing and waning, Paul said.

“The irony is that from January 2025 up until when they proposed the closure, we’re actually quite busy,” he said.

“Viewing figures for Would I Lie to You is in the millions. That, 15 years ago, would not be good – but in the current TV climate, something between two and four million is considered a hit for terrestrial.”

Moreover, it and Taskmaster have been going for 18 series, and see a fully booked live audience of 400 people every time an episode is shot, with fans both young and old.

Given this, Paul is not sure why new shows, sitcoms or panel shows are not being produced any more.

“We used to do a lot, and now we don’t. They don’t seem to be getting commissioned,” he said. “They just want tried and tested and don’t have the money to take on something new.”

This model of TV studio is ‘potentially on a downfall’ and this is likely an industry-wide problem, Paul believes.

This may be surprising given the push for studio development in the area – in Bray, Holyport, and Marlow.

Paul said this is because they specialise in film and productions for streaming services. The film industry is ‘still thriving’, he said, and streaming-service shows are shot like films.

By contrast, Pinewood’s TV studio is a multicamera studio, with a TV gallery and eight or nine camera channels.

This helps capture multiple moments at once during panel shows and creates the ‘flow of real time’ in traditionally made sitcoms.

“It’s quite a unique studio set-up. Only a few studios around the country are set up that way,” said Paul.

“If [the TV department] is not making money, I understand, but it’s difficult to take,” he added. “We’ve made a lot of history within the 25 years we’ve been there.”

Also lost would be the level of expertise in permanent positions with Pinewood Studios Ltd.

“We’re a tight-knit team – we know the industry, our facilities and equipment really well. We deliver what we’d consider world-class customer service,” said Paul.

“That’s a team that’s going to broken up – a team everyone we speak to enjoys working with.

“It’s a shame. You’re losing skilled people who might now look outside of the industry to find new roles.”

It would also affect a raft of freelancers, as many as 100 per show – camera operators, sound teams, runners, security personnel and suchlike. This brings in a lot of local employment.

“We’re a gateway for a lot of young people into the industry – we prided ourselves on hiring young people working up from the bottom,” added Paul.

“It’s going to be locally quite a loss.”

A statedment from Pinewood reads: “Following a review, during 2025 we are planning to close our TV department which services the light entertainment TV market.

“This does not affect TV shows already booked for 2024 and 2025, nor does it affect any other film or TV productions at Pinewood’s sites. We have started a consultation process with colleagues who are affected.

“We are very proud of the work the TV team has delivered over the years, having hosted many major titles for the UK’s broadcasters.”