Katana VentraIP

Upper Boat Studios

Upper Boat Studios was a television studio complex leased to the BBC in mid-2006,[1] and formerly operated by BBC Wales.[3]

Upper Boat Studios

Used as warehousing

Television studio[1][2]

Modern

Unit 1/2, Tonteg Road, Treforest Industrial Estate, Upper Boat, Pontypridd, CF37 5UA

Wales, United Kingdom

51°34′33″N 3°18′00″W / 51.57583°N 3.30000°W / 51.57583; -3.30000 (Upper Boat Studios)

None

27 July 2006 (2006-07-27)[2][3]

BBC Wales[3]

86,000 sq ft (7,990 m2)[3]

Filming of Doctor Who[1][2][3]

It is located in Upper Boat,[2] a village on the outskirts of Pontypridd,[3] Rhondda Cynon Taf, near Cardiff in Wales. The studios, previously a seat belt manufacturing factory for the automotive industry,[1] were officially opened on 27 July 2006 (2006-07-27), by Welsh Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies,[2][3] for the purpose of producing Doctor Who, along with its related spin-off programmes.[2][3]

Facilities[edit]

At ten times larger than BBC Wales existing site at Llandaff, the Doctor Who residency at Upper Boat Studios included the use of its six sound stages.[1] Other facilities at Upper Boat included a large props store, workshops, and video editing suites.[1]

History[edit]

By 2011, Doctor Who was the only programme still based at Upper Boat, following the move of several BBC Wales productions to the new permanent home at the new Roath Lock studios. Doctor Who itself relocated to Roath Lock throughout 2012,[1] with the last filming day at Upper Boat on 11 May 2012.[4]


Despite the studio closure, production on Sherlock series 3 continued at the studios[1] until September 2013.[5]

Roath Lock