Netflix to double size of Shepperton Studios base in boost for UK output
Streaming service spent $1bn making about 60 TV shows and films in Britain last year
Netflix is to double the size of its base at Shepperton Studios, where it has made productions including the TV series Enola Holmes and films including The Old Guard, as the US streaming service looks to ramp up its British-made output.
Netflix, which spent $1bn (£740m) making about 60 TV shows and films in the UK last year, including The Crown and Sex Education, first struck a deal to make the historic studio in Surrey its permanent production base in 2019 in a race to secure studio space amid a shortage fuelled by the streaming boom.
“We are delighted to announce the expansion of our production presence in the UK,” said Anna Mallett, vice-president of physical production for the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa region. “The new contract with Shepperton highlights our commitment to investing in the UK creative industry and will provide a wealth of opportunities and production jobs, from entry level to heads of department.”
The new long-term deal comes as Shepperton Studios, home to films from Alien to A Clockwork Orange, prepares to more than double in size.
Parent company Pinewood Studios, where films from the Bond franchise to Star Wars are shot, has received planning permission to expand Shepperton from 14 stages to 31 stages. Netflix will start using the expanded site on completion in 2023.
Source: The Guardian