Stage is set for Liverpool's new film and TV studios
The production studios are opening at the site of the old Littlewoods building
Liverpool’s status as the “Hollywood of the North” has taken a step closer as its new film and high-end TV drama studios open for business on Monday.
The Depot are two purpose-built, 20,000 sqft sound-proofed film & TV production units, giving Liverpool the complete package for film producers and a providing a multi-million pound boost to its economy.
The opening comes as Liverpool, the second most filmed city in the UK, is experiencing the busiest period for film and TV production on record - despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Favoured by filmmakers for doubling locations as New York and London, The Depot is seen as a key piece of the jigsaw in retaining productions within the region for longer.
The Depot’s two units, ideally located just a 10-minute drive from the city centre and M62, draw on the best of Liverpool and Northwest England’s renowned filming infrastructure.
Liverpool Film Office (LFO), which is overseeing the management of the space, aim to find productions to employ local crew and to work with local businesses to form training initiatives. A key goal is to develop and strengthen the local talent pool and secure Liverpool’s long-term ambition to be a first-class creative and digital content production base.
It is predicted The Depot, which were built by Morgan Sindall for Liverpool City Council, will create a £24m economic boost for the regional economy, creating 360 new jobs and 760 indirect jobs, and forms part of Liverpool’s 10 post-pandemic pledges to stimulate growth.
Situated adjacent to the future Littlewoods Studios site, The Depot is seen as critical to Liverpool’s strategy to cement its reputation as one of Europe’s premier film and TV production hubs, following a £17 million funding commitment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund.
The city is currently hosting illustrious productions such as Sky’s Funny Girl starring Gemma Arterton and Channel 4’s The Curse from the team behind People Just Do Nothing, as well as recently investing and supporting Channel 4’s Help starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham, BBC’s The Responder starring Martin Freeman, ITV’s adaptation of The Ipcress File through its LCR Production Fund.
BBC’s sixth series of Peaky Blinders, Doctor Who, Ridley Road, Netflix’s Stay Close, Sky’s COBRA: Cyberwar, and major blockbusters such as Warner Bros’ The Batman and Netflix’s Munich: The Edge of War also filmed in Liverpool.