Country United Kingdom Renovated 2012-2013 Inaugurated August 1981 Floor count 4 | Completed August 1981 Opened August 1981 Architecture firm Farrells Architect Terry Farrell | |
 | ||
Type Television broadcast facilities Location South of Camden Lock, London. Address 17-29 Hawley Crescent London NW1 8TT Owners TV-am (1983–1993), MTV Europe (1993–) Similar Camden Town, Camden Lock, Charing Cross railway st, London Butterfly House, Arnos Grove tube station | ||
Breakfast Television Centre is the former headquarters of TV-am in Camden Town, London, which is now the headquarters of MTV Europe. It was converted from a former car showroom in 1981 to a design by Sir Terry Farrell, and came to be known as Eggcup House because of plastic eggcups on the roof. It has since been extensively renovated.
Contents
History
In March 1981, a former car showroom was renovated for the TV-am studios. Sir Terry Farrell won the commission; his design became known for its vibrant postmodernism. There were 'TVAM' letters coming out of the wall, a sunrise archway over the entrance into the forecourt, and a number of plastic egg-cups on the edge of the roof facing the Regent's Canal, which led to the nickname 'Eggcup House'. The studios were used throughout TV-am's lifetime as a television network until 31st December 1992, when the studios and TV-am closed.
Sale to MTV Europe
After TV-am closed, Breakfast Television Centre was sold to MTV Europe in 1993. MTV stated that extra studios were available for commercial hire. The TV-am lettering built into the fascia of the building was covered over with discs, but the eggcups remained on the roof.
Fire
On April 15, 1999, a fire swept through the studios. MTV was forced to air emergency tapes and then came off the air when the electricity was switched off. For several hours, 40 firefighters worked on the fire. The roof and first floor were severely damaged, but the exterior was largely undamaged. The fire was believed to have been started by an electrical fault; no one was injured.
Renovation
In 2011, MTV Networks wanted to make changes to the building, primarily to remove some of the studios and replace them with modern office space. The rear of the building, facing the Regent's Canal, was repainted grey rather than blue, but the structure and the eggcups remained in place. The front of the building was more extensively redeveloped during 2012–2013: the studio block, which had been the site of the original TV-am studios, was demolished, and replaced with a new glazed-fronted office complex. The courtyard between the prior studio and office sections was renovated and reorganised, including the installation of a green wall.