THE ELSTREE PROJECTStories from Britain’s studio townThe Elstree Project
3 October 2026On 3 October 1991, one of British television’s most famous programmes began a new chapter when Top of the Pops broadcast for the first time from Studio C at BBC Elstree Centre – beginning a ten-year association with Borehamwood. At BBC Television Centre, Top of the Pops had no permanent home. Its set had to […]
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11 September 2026On this day in 1977, Bing Crosby and David Bowie recorded their classic “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” duet on Studio D at ATV Elstree Studios. It was made for Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas, a 1970s television special in which Bing and his family spend Christmas in an English country house, joined by the […]
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5 September 2026Happy 50th birthday to The Muppet Show! On 5 September 1976, the first episode of The Muppet Show was broadcast on ITV — beginning five series of glorious mayhem that would make Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and friends famous around the world. And it all happened in Borehamwood. The series was made for ATV […]
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13 August 202613 August, marks the birthday of Alfred Hitchcock, born in Leytonstone in 1899. Hitchcock would become one of the most famous directors in cinema history, with many of his later and more well-known films made in Hollywood. But there is a remarkable fact about his career which deserves to be better known. Hitchcock directed more […]
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22 February 2026In December 2026, Elstree Studios will mark the centenary of its official opening. As that milestone approaches, a new campaign has now begun to ask BAFTA to formally recognise the contribution of Elstree and Borehamwood to British cinema and television with a Special BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema at the 2027 ceremony. The proposal, submitted […]
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14 January 2026This modernist fountain sculpture has stood outside Neptune House at ATV Elstree Studios (later the BBC Elstree Centre, and now Fairbanks Studios) since the early 1960s. We were recently asked to find out more about the sculpture and who created it, on behalf of the studio, and we’re happy to share our research here. Commissioned […]
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12 January 2026This year marks the 40th anniversary of Labyrinth, one of the most visually imaginative films ever made — and one that was forged through British studio craft and artistry at Elstree Studios. Directed by Jim Henson, and Exec Produced by George Lucas, Labyrinth brought together puppetry, performance, design and practical ingenuity on a fantastically imaginative […]
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9 January 2026Over the past few weeks we’ve been deep inside the digital reconstruction of Fairbanks and Neptune House at the former BBC Elstree Centre — building a fully navigable 360º virtual tour of these extraordinary spaces. Back in July 2025, a small team of us spent about a week and a half on site, capturing nearly […]
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15 December 2025On this day 100 years ago, 15 December 1925, it was announced that a site called Oaklands in Borehamwood had been acquired for eight studios to be built near Elstree Station by British National Pictures Ltd — led by JD Williams and Herbert Wilcox. A year of building works led to the studio officially opening […]
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26 September 2025On Friday 26 September, Elstree Studios reopened Stages 7, 8 and 9 after being closed for several years due to asbestos and concrete structural issues. Rudolph Walker CBE was asked to cut the ribbon outside of Stage 7 to declare them open once more! The Elstree Project’s director, Howard Berry, was among the invited guests […]
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