Manchester’s iconic Granada Studios will return to the TV industry in a plan announced by property developers Allied London.
The company has announced it will redevelop studios 2-12 as a new home for live and pre-recorded entertainment shows. The new venue will be known as ALL Studios.
The studios will still have their resin floors while lighting rigs and gantries will be revamped. The company plans to invest in production galleries, dressing rooms and green rooms.
“Our acquisition of the former ITV studios has coincided with an unprecedented disruption in the TV and film industry, giving birth to a greater demand for smaller, independent single- and multicamera studios,” said Allied London chief executive Michael Ingall.
“The reason we are bringing the Old Granada Studios back to their original purpose and design is simply market led,” explained Piers Read, who will lead the ALL Studios team.
“Demand for studio space in the UK is at an all-time high. The quality and design of the studios is simply outstanding. They are as good now as the day they were built, akin to the set-up at London Studios, which is hardly surprising considering they were built by ITV to produce light entertainment shows.”
Allied London, working with Manchester City Council, bought the 13.5 acre Granada plot in 2013 for a reported fee of £26.5 million.