BBC Cymru Wales - Studios

Studios

See also: Broadcasting House (Cardiff) and List of BBC properties

The current headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales is located within Broadcasting House, Llandaff, Cardiff. The studio centre was built in 1966 and opened the following year as a purpose built location to house the expanding presence of the BBC in Cardiff. The centre contained studios for the news programmes, radio space including that used by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales until 2009, and another studio for drama productions constructed in the mid 1970s.

Previously, the BBC in Wales had been located in a converted chapel in Broadway, Cardiff and in temporary accommodation at BBC Broadcasting Centre on the banks of the River Taff. While these studios played host to drama, entertainment and regional programmes, the site was still not ideal. The site only held two studios, both located in the church, and the ability to broadcast film was not installed on the site for several years; film played into programmes from a telecine machine in Bristol or London and film processing for news was carried out by a firm called Park Pictures in Cardiff until BBC processing was installed in Stacey Road.

The expansion of BBC Cymru Wales' drama productions in recent years has resulted in investment for new studios. With the large studio at Llandaff being used for Pobol y Cwm, BBC Wales invested into Upper Boat Studios in Pontypridd to house several productions, notable centred around Doctor Who and its sister productions Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Despite the investment in Upper Boat, the studio complex soon became too small to house new productions being moved to the BBC Nations. As part of this decision, it was decided in March 2009 that BBC productions Casualty and Crimewatch were to relocate from their former homes at BBC Bristol network production unit to Cardiff.

As a result BBC Wales built a new studio complex, called Roath Lock, in Porth Teigr, Cardiff Bay. Plans were approved in January 2009 and construction of the 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site began in June 2010 with the building topping out in February 2011. The site was designed to house the productions Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Casualty, Upstairs Downstairs and Pobol y Cwm, however following the death of Sarah Jane actor Elisabeth Sladen in 2011 and the cancellation of Upstairs Downstairs, these two series will cease to be produced. Production began at the site in autumn 2011 and the site was officially opened on 12 March 2012.

In addition to these properties, BBC Cymru Wales also has properties in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Carmarthen, Newtown, Penrhyndeudraeth and Wrexham and at BBC Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff, home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.