Riverside Studios

Riverside Studios is built on extraordinary foundations. We stand on the former site of a Victorian ironworks which, in 1933, was converted into a film studio with two sound stages. Many classic films were made here, such as The Seventh Veil (1945) with James Mason, The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) with Margaret Rutherford and Father Brown (1950) with Alec Guinness. In 1954, the studios were taken over by BBC Television and became home to many of the Corporations most iconic programmes, including Hancock’s Half Hour (1957-60), Quatermass and the Pit (1958-1959) and Doctor Who (1964-1968). Following the BBC’s departure in 1974, the building became an arts centre in 1976, launching with a vibrant community festival. Riverside Studios quickly gained a reputation for excellence and innovation with landmark productions of The Cherry Orchard with Judy Parfitt (1978), The Changeling with Brian Cox and Measure for Measure with Helen Mirren (both 1979). Our mixed programme of international theatre, dance, visual art, comedy and music was established early on and has succeeded in bringing the world to west London. The variety of our collaborators over the years – including Benjamin Zephaniah, Amy Winehouse, Samuel Beckett, Yoko Ono, Michael Clark, Leigh Bowery, The Wooster Group, David Hockney, Graeae, David Bowie and the Black Theatre Cooperative – reflects Riverside’s purpose as a melting pot for creative artists. The original Riverside Studios closed for redevelopment in 2014 and our new building opened on the same site in 2019.