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Address Vinters Park/New Cut Rd, Maidstone ME14 5NZ, United Kingdom Similar Maidstone East, Hilton Maidstone, Maidstone West, Premier Inn Maidstone Town Ce, Travelodge Maidstone Central H | ||
The Maidstone Studios, formerly called TVS Television Centre, is the UK's largest Independent television studio complex based at Vinters Park in Maidstone (Just 20 minutes away from the M25), Kent, UK. It is home to a varied selection of independent British television programming including Later... with Jools Holland, Jools Hollands annual Hootenanny,Take Me Out, Catchphrase as well as popular children's shows such as Mister Maker and Let's Play for Cbeebies.
Contents
Other recent credits also include:Bang on the Money, The Royals E!, Ultimate Brain and Hetty Feather for CBBC, Davina McCall - Fitness DVDs and The Coalition drama for Channel 4.
ITV
The site was first chosen by the then incumbent South of England ITV company Southern Television in 1979, and purchased the following year, for a proposed new studio facility should they win the Independent Broadcasting Authority contract for the new dual South and South-east of England region in 1981. However, following the loss of their franchise, they sold the site to the successful applicant Television South (TVS) at a premium. In fact it was part of the agreement between TVS and the IBA that TVS must provide a studio facility for the new South East region if TVS were to win the contract (although Maidstone was not specified by the IBA). The complex first opened in late 1982 and provided significant output for the company alongside long-standing facilities in Southampton (which they also purchased from Southern).
The site was used frequently for production, as a regional office and as a newsgathering hub, with the South East daily edition of Coast to Coast being based here from the completion of the studio complex. A small studio located in Dover had been used on Friday evenings only to provide an opt-out News Service for Kent and East Sussex until Southern ceased broadcasting at the end of 1981.
Independent Ownership
When TVS lost its ITV franchise to present licensee Meridian, the Southampton studios were sold to the new company but the Maidstone facility was retained, with a view to TVS becoming an independent production company. Meridian initially continued to rent space in the building as a production centre for the south east edition of Meridian Tonight, before moving to its own centre at nearby New Hythe between 1994 and 2004. The newsgathering operation returned to Maidstone Studios in 2004, though the studio for the programme moved to Meridian's new base at Whiteley in Hampshire.
TVS, including the Maidstone Studios, was quickly bought by International Family Entertainment Inc. and the studios were used as an independent production facility. IFE subsequently launched a UK version of The Family Channel based in The Maidstone Studios, using some elements of the TVS programme archive. Flextech was a partner in the venture, taking a 39% stake in the business. In 1996, the studio complex was sold by International Family Entertainment Inc. to Flextech when it acquired the remaining 61% of the UK Family Channel business.
During 2002 the new owner of Flextech, Telewest Communications plc, overhauled the structure of the operations which resulted in the disposal of the studios.
The studios were bought in 2002 by a local consortium of businessmen under the name "Dovedale Associates" for £4.25m, headed by ex-BBC producer Geoff Miles. In 2005 a £2 million refurbishment programme took place, as part of "Dovedale Associates" business plans for the complex. A new Studio 5 was opened, which covers 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) able to accommodate a 1,000-strong audience; it is now their flagship HD-ready studio, and since April 2013 has been the home of BBC2's Later... with Jools Holland.
From 2006 to 2012 a company called "TVS Television Productions Ltd" was based in offices at The Maidstone Studios. The name "Television South Ltd", "TVS" and the colour logo device had been re-registered to lighting cameraman Keith Jacobsen, who traded as an independent production company with no links to the original. The 'new' TVS ceased trading on 9 March 2012.
Studio Facilities
Studios 2 and 5 have room for seating, 250 and 2,400 respectively as well as room for sets. Studios 2 and 3 have large production galleries. Studios 1 and 2 can switch output from 16:9 to 4:3.
Studio 5 is a fully HD, with laser smoothed studio floor, large HD production gallery and equipment. Studio 5 also includes large scene dock doors to allow easy access for people, scenery and vehicles. It is the third largest television studio in the UK, only Fountain Studios' Studio A&B and MediaCityUK's Studio 1 having a larger area.
Maidstone also had 4 edit suites, 1 dubbing suites, dressing and green rooms, production and wardrobe departments, scenery departments and transmission and playback facilities.
On the Maidstone Studios premises is an award winning data centre which offers rack space for servers for local, national and international companies.