Bovingdon Airfield Studios

14/08/2025

Great to see ITV Studios Bovingdon feature in this Summer’s issue of Televisual magazine! ITV Studios has their very own huge purpose-built filming stage and extensive production offices based with us here at Bovingdon Airfield Studios – available for hire by any production. In case you need a reintroduction:

🎥 ITV’s sound stage is a massive 22,483 ft² and has:
📐 An unusually generous clearance height – 55 ft!
🏗️ A concrete floor pad capable of bearing significant load
🎯 An extremely high-spec mother truss system
🛣️ Plenty of hardstanding runway in front and behind the sound stage - ‘ITV Runway’!
🏢 Extensive production offices including rooms of many sizes, dressing rooms, and hair and make-up facilities
🔌 All the power and super-fast internet a production could need

As mentioned by Televisual: “the infrastructure is purpose-built for the demands of large-scale entertainment”, and is also perfect for feature films. Some productions made there include:

🎡 BBC’s ‘The Wheel’ – with its impressive 360° raised set – plus other large-scale TV shows with live audiences such as ‘Dancing on Ice’
🚂 Sky TV’s ‘This is Christmas’ – fitting two full-size train carriages and a dramatic video wall inside the stage
⛪ Amazon’s ‘The Power’ – for which a full-scale chapel was built inside
🌟 ITV’s ‘Starstruck’ – by Remarkable, for two series
🎤 Band music rehearsals and tour testing – including Pulp for their recent tour
👥 Large-scale crowd basing

It was lovely catching up with you yesterday, ITV Studios Bovingdon, over a cup of tea and a flick through the magazine – we love having you as our neighbour!

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If you want to find out more about ITV Studios Bovingdon, head here: https://www.itvstudiosbovingdon.co.uk/

To see or book the space call Helen Button on 020 7157 4674, email [email protected], or drop us a line here at Bovingdon Airfield Studios and we’ll patch you straight through!

14/07/2025

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of Live Aid! For anyone who missed it last year, we wrote about how, back in 2017, the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody - starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury - constructed a full-scale replica of the original Wembley Stadium Live Aid stage on the Main Runway at Bovingdon, in a collaboration between Bovingdon Airfield Studios and our neighbour Cathy Leahy.

Recreating the Live Aid concert was one of the film’s most iconic achievements, expertly capturing the essence of Queen’s legendary performance. The production team meticulously reproduced the 1985 event here at Bovingdon, paying attention to every detail – right down to the Pepsi cups on the piano. Malek and the other actors performed the entire set list multiple times to ensure authenticity, perfectly mimicking all the movements, energy, stage presence and choreography from the original footage. Brian May, Roger Taylor, and even Bob Geldof visited the set to help ensure everything was as true to reality as possible.

Scouting for the Live Aid location was a complex task for the Bohemian Rhapsody locations department. Ultimately, Bovingdon was the only site with the necessary scale and sufficient hardstanding surface to build the stage, install the supporting infrastructure for lighting and cranes, and accommodate the 800 extras required for the crowd scenes. The stage and foreground scenes were all real, while extensive visual effects brought the rest of the arena and the depth of the crowds to life.

Malek’s preparation for the role was extensive, involving movement coaching to learn exactly how to replicate Mercury’s distinctive mannerisms, dental prosthetics, and dialect coaching to master Mercury’s unique accent. Malek even performed some of the singing himself, although most of the film’s vocals are a careful blend of Malek, actual Mercury recordings, and Canadian singer Marc Martel. This rigorous attention to detail was essential in bringing Mercury’s character to life on screen, leading to widespread acclaim for Malek’s performance and earning him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Watch this brilliant video showing the film side by side with the real Live Aid footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z6wJHPhJUM

In Mercury’s own words: “A concert is not a live rendition of our album. It’s a theatrical event.”

This is PART 3 of Bohemian Rhapsody 2018 Movie [ALL SONGS]' dedicated to the LEGEND.You can watch PART 1 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kojmfoukNi0You c...

18/04/2025

🎬 Warfare, the new feature from DNA Films and A24, opens in UK cinemas today, and was filmed entirely at Bovingdon Airfield Studios. This ambitious, real-time war film pushed the boundaries of scale and realism, and we were delighted to host the full production on our site.

From writer-directors Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Civil War) and Ray Mendoza, Warfare tells the true story of a high-stakes Navy SEAL mission in Ramadi, Iraq. Inspired by Mendoza’s own experience, it features a brilliant cast including Charles Melton, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Kit Connor. The film unfolds in real-time with extended takes and intense authenticity, offering a raw, immersive portrayal of combat and camaraderie.

Here at Bovingdon, the production team recreated a full-scale Iraqi city on our Control Tower Backlot, and the filmmakers have said ours was the only studio site where this was possible.

🏗️ 12 life-size buildings and a full apartment complex were constructed to exacting detail.

🎥 The streetscape was built in a T-shape for flexible, immersive camera movement.

⏳ The film was shot chronologically, allowing damage and debris to evolve naturally.

🔄 Long takes (up to 15 mins) flowed through our 360° practical sets.

🎖️ Cast began filming straight after a military-style bootcamp, with no break in immersion.

✅ Garland and Mendoza described filming here as “seamless” - a site that supported the story’s realism at every step.

You can see our favourite behind-the-scenes shots and stills from the film. Make sure to watch it this long bank holiday weekend, and we’ll be releasing a full article about the making of the film on our website soon – keep an eye out for it 👀





📸s from DNA Films & A24

18/04/2025

🎬 Warfare, the new feature from DNA Films and A24, opens in UK cinemas today, and was filmed entirely at Bovingdon Airfield Studios. This ambitious, real-time war film pushed the boundaries of scale and realism, and we were delighted to host the full production on our site.

From writer-directors Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Civil War) and Ray Mendoza, Warfare tells the true story of a high-stakes Navy SEAL mission in Ramadi, Iraq. Inspired by Mendoza’s own experience, it features a brilliant cast including Charles Melton, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Kit Connor. The film unfolds in real-time with extended takes and intense authenticity, offering a raw, immersive portrayal of combat and camaraderie.

Here at Bovingdon, the production team recreated a full-scale Iraqi city on our Control Tower Backlot, and the filmmakers have said ours was the only studio site where this was possible.

🏗️ 12 life-size buildings and a full apartment complex were constructed to exacting detail.

🎥 The streetscape was built in a T-shape for flexible, immersive camera movement.

⏳ The film was shot chronologically, allowing damage and debris to evolve naturally.

🔄 Long takes (up to 15 mins) flowed through our 360° practical sets.

🎖️ Cast began filming straight after a military-style bootcamp, with no break in immersion.

✅ Garland and Mendoza described filming here as “seamless” - a site that supported the story’s realism at every step.

You can see our favourite behind-the-scenes shots and stills from the film. Make sure to watch it this long bank holiday weekend, and we’ll be releasing a full article about the making of the film on our website soon – keep an eye out for it 👀



📸s from DNA Films & A24

16/04/2025

From writer-directors Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Civil War) and Ray Mendoza, WARFARE is a visceral, real-time war film based on the memories of real Navy SEALs - including Mendoza himself. Starring an ensemble cast featuring Charles Melton, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn and Kit Connor, it hits UK cinemas this Good Friday - 18th April.

Filmed entirely at Bovingdon Airfield Studios, the production team built life-size sets to recreate the streets of Ramadi, Iraq, transforming our Control Tower Backlot into a 360° battlefield. The filmmakers said our site was the only place where they could achieve this scale and realism. The result? An immersive and unflinching war film that breaks from convention. ​

M​ake sure to see it in the cinema over this​ long Easter Bank Holiday​ weekend and watch the trailer​ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JER0Fkyy3tw

​Watch this space for more from us about the making of WARFARE over the coming days!

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribeWritten and directed by Iraq War Veteran Ray Mendoza and Civil War’s Alex Garland, and starring D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Wi...

09/03/2025

Tonight is the final of Series 17 of Dancing on Ice - with these three fantastic finalists!

Tune in at 6:30pm tonight on ITV1 & STV to find out who the winner will be - don't miss it!

08/03/2025

Not because it’s a ‘day’, but because they’re brilliant every day



JO Lawlor Kirstie Evans Sarah Bradbury

19/02/2025

Over the past few weeks, members of our team have had the chance to see Dancing on Ice live, and we’re always impressed by the logistics of staging a live show - on ice - every weekend. Now that we’re well into the current series, we thought we’d share some behind-the-scenes facts about this much-loved production.

A Custom-Built Studio for Ice:

🏟️ ITV Studios Bovingdon was built specifically to house the large, interconnected ice rinks - 3 in total.
🏟️ The studio space meets extreme demands – an exceptionally strong weight-bearing floor, a 15m high ceiling, and enough space for 700+ people including a live audience on show days.
🏟️ Reportedly the longest LED screen in Europe curves around the rink to create immersive virtual backdrops, minimising physical props on the ice.
🏟️ The show's Creative Producers have a lot of freedom, thanks to the vast space and high-tech infrastructure.
🏟️ Skaters train up to 6+ hours daily in the studio, with 3 rehearsals each weekend day and then the final live show on Sunday evening - making it a creative and logistical hub.

Cameras, Cameras - Everywhere:

🎥 Cameras are positioned all over the studio, from a rail-mounted system running the length of the show rink, to high above the ice where multiple crew members must climb up and remain throughout live shows, and crucially on the ice itself.
🎥 A dedicated ice camera operator skates alongside the performers while filming, never appearing on screen.
🎥 He memorises 8-13 routines per week, tracking dancers, camera positions, lighting, and shadows to capture seamless, cinematic shots.

The Science Behind the Ice:

❄️ The rinks require 19km of piping, 90,000 litres of water, and 3 giant chillers to maintain the perfect ice surface. As soon as the final show wraps, the chillers are turned off, and the ice begins melting almost immediately.
❄️ To ensure crystal-clear ice, warm water (not cold!) is used, and two layers of white mesh are built into the ice to improve camera visuals.
❄️ A custom-built filtration system removes chalk from the water to make it purer than rainwater, ensuring Olympic-level skating conditions.
❄️ Pro skaters and the judges, including Torvill & Dean, call it the best ice in the country - thanks to constant laser depth checks, thermal scans, and 24/7 maintenance.
❄️ The rinks undergo a complete reset every Monday and Thursday, using a pressure pump to drop 6,000+ litres of water in 30 minutes for fresh ice.

This setup makes Dancing on Ice one of the most technically complex and visually impressive live TV productions. You can read more about the show here: https://bovingdonairfieldstudios.com/news/behind-the-scenes-at-dancing-on-ice

Make sure to catch all the remaining episodes every Sunday on ITV1 and ITVX from 6:30 pm until the series finale next month!

produced by Lifted Entertainment - part of ITV Studios

20/01/2025

The first goodbye of the series...

So far, Michaela Strachan leads the leaderboard with an impressive 30.5 out of 40 from her first dance with pro dance partner Mark Hanretty last weekend. We can't wait to see what week 3 has in store for us this weekend - particularly as we will be in the audience!

The first couple we're saying a sad farewell to is Chelsee & Andy 🩵 We miss you already 🪩💖

10/01/2025

❄️ We always know that after the fun of Christmas and NYE, we still have our favourite time of the year to look forward to in January – Dancing on Ice time! ️⛸️

Dancing on Ice has been filmed in its custom-built ITV studio at Bovingdon Airfield Studios since 2018 and hits our screens again this weekend. Tune in to ITV, STV and ITVX this Sunday 12th January at 6:30pm for the start of Series 17. This will be the 8th series filmed with us here at Bovingdon.

Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern are both back to present, and the judging panel will see the return of Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo, and Oti Mabuse (fresh from the jungle!). This year’s celebrity contestants include Ferne McCann, Michaela Strachan, Sir Steve Redgrave, Charlie Brooks, Anton Ferdinand, Josh Jones, Sam Aston, Chelsee Healey, Dan Edgar, Chris Taylor and Mollie Pearce. Sadly, Paralympic Grand Champion Dame Sarah Storey – who was also due to take to the ice this year – was forced to pull out of the competition after fracturing her ankle. Last year’s winners were actor Ryan Thomas and skating pro partner Amani Fancy, beating Made in Chelsea’s Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer in a particularly dramatic 2024 grand finale – which saw fellow finalist athlete Greg Rutherford pull out on the day itself owing to injury.

Dancing on Ice is such a great example of top-tier UK TV production at its very best. The immense effort behind the scenes is remarkable, from creating and maintaining the ice rinks (there are 3 including the tunnel!), to filming extensively on the ice itself – and with a live TV audience. Tune in this Sunday and every Sunday evening until March’s finale!

If you want to read more about behind the scenes on the show, read our article - written with huge thanks again to ITV Studios Bovingdon:

https://bovingdonairfieldstudios.com/news/behind-the-scenes-at-dancing-on-ice



Photo credits: ITV / Lifted Entertainment