Roath Lock

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Television production studio in Cardiff, Wales

title: "Roath Lock" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["buildings-and-structures-completed-in-2011", "2011-establishments-in-wales", "bbc-offices,-studios-and-buildings", "television-in-wales", "british-television-studios", "buildings-and-structures-in-cardiff", "bbc-cymru-wales"] description: "Television production studio in Cardiff, Wales" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roath_Lock" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Television production studio in Cardiff, Wales ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox building"]

FieldValue
nameBBC Roath Lock Studios
imageRoath Lock BBC studios - Geograph-2901332.jpg
addressPorth Teigr Way, Cardiff Bay, CF10 4GA
location_cityCardiff, Wales
location_countryUnited Kingdom
coordinates
opened_dateSeptember 2011
ownerBBC Cymru Wales
::

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BBC Roath Lock Studios is a television production studio in Cardiff, Wales. The facility houses BBC drama productions that include () Doctor Who, Casualty, and Pobol y Cwm. The centre topped out on 20 February 2011 and filming for such productions commenced in autumn of the same year.

The facility is located on a development site known as Porth Teigr, which included a proposed 40000 ft2 digital media centre, and between 2012 and 2017 hosted an interactive Doctor Who exhibition titled the Doctor Who Experience. The facility was built to accommodate 500 to 600 people working on site.

Design

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Cardiff_-BBC_Cymru_Wales(geograph_3916811).jpg" caption="Facade detail (March 2014)"] ::

The successful planning application sought permission for a 300 m long, 20000 m2 building housing studios and offices with a distinctive façade and repeating motifs. It will also have a gothic-style entrance inspired by some of William Burges' designs at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. The planning application showed the building would face the National Assembly's Tŷ Hywel building and the Atradius building across the water of Roath Basin.

FAT architecture were appointed as architects and designed a bold façade in homage to the Cardiff architecture of William Burges and the local South Wales landscape. Unusual requirements for the building included an exact replica, in design and orientation, of the Bristol studio's Holby City carpark and corridors wide enough for two Daleks to pass one another.

Construction

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Construction_of_new_BBC_Wales_Drama_Village,_Cardiff_Bay.jpg" caption="Roath Lock during construction"] ::

The 175000 ft2 of studios were constructed and fitted out within 13 months, marking the quickest BBC build of its size ever.

A £2.5m bridge linking the drama village to Cardiff Bay was lifted into place. The bridge was manufactured in nearby Newport from where it was broken down into twelve pieces to allow transportation. The building branding was manufactured in Cardiff by a local company which also designed and implement the wayfinding signs which was helped for a prestigious branding company

Production

The development has brought under one roof the production of shows formerly filmed in Cardiff's Broadcasting House, at Upper Boat Studios near Pontypridd, and in Bristol.

Programmes confirmed to be filmed and produced at the studios include:

Other productions produced by Roath Lock, but not necessarily filmed at the studios include: Merlin, Atlantis, Being Human, The Living and the Dead, Sherlock, War & Peace, The Game, The Passing Bells, The Green Hollow, A Poet in New York, and To Walk Invisible.

After the studios, offices and external filming lots were fully fitted out, filming for Pobol y Cwm and Casualty began in autumn 2011. Doctor Who moved into the 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site in 2012. The Sarah Jane Adventures was also scheduled to move to the facility in 2012, but future production of the series was cancelled in April 2011 due to the death of lead actress Elisabeth Sladen.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505142341/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110504_03/The_Sarah_Jane_Adventures|archive-date=5 May 2011| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110504_03/The_Sarah_Jane_Adventures | title= The Sarah Jane Adventures, 04th May 2011 | publisher=BBC | date=4 May 2011 | access-date=4 May 2011

Surrounding development

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Roath_Basin_and_Roath_Dock,Cardiff_Docks-geograph.org.uk-_1097699.jpg" caption="Roath Basin (nearest), Roath Dock (above) with the channel to [[Queen Alexandra Dock]] (centre right)."] ::

Roath Basin is the largest single remaining undeveloped site in Cardiff Bay. It consists of approximately 27 acres and has an outline planning permission for 1,000 new homes and 100,000 sq m of commercial floor space. Igloo Regeneration, which is an investment fund managed by Aviva Investments, was selected by the Assembly Government as the Development Partner for the project.

Investment of £8.5 million is needed to provide a road connection through the site providing both private and public transport from Pierhead Street through to the Norwegian Church, where a new bridge will need to be constructed over the existing lock-entrance to the dock.

The project comprises two distinct, but inter-dependent, components; the regeneration of the currently derelict, former dock side land at Roath Basin would be commenced by Assembly Government investment into the site infrastructure, and the BBC Drama Village, which would total some 170000 sqft of television studios and ancillary accommodation, as well as a new office building, which could be operated as a "Digital Media Centre" where a range of BBC supply-chain companies and existing Welsh-based Creative Industry Sector businesses would be able to be accommodated.

Transport links

The Roath Lock Drama Village was served by the Baycar (Cardiff Bus number 6) service operated by Cardiff Bus, that ran every 10 minutes to Cardiff Bay and the City Centre.

References

References

  1. (20 March 2017). "Roath Lock - Facts and Figures". [[BBC Media Centre]].
  2. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12231117 BBC News. BBC Wales Drama village's first phase completed]
  3. [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2010/11/10/tiger-bay-inspires-name-for-bbc-site-91466-27630137/ Wales Online. Tiger Bay inspires name for BBC site]
  4. Chris Kane. (15 September 2011). "Roath Lock Opens For Business". BBC.
  5. [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2009/12/05/bbc-s-drama-village-would-bring-tv-shows-to-cardiff-bay-91466-25324899/ Wales Online. BBC's drama village would bring TV shows to Cardiff Bay]
  6. Rowan Moore. (25 March 2012). "Roath Lock studios, Cardiff – review". The Guardian.
  7. (20 January 2011). "BBC Wales drama village name unveiled as Roath Lock". BBC News.
  8. "British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)".
  9. "Branding Company".
  10. [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2010/12/15/cardiff-bay-drama-village-new-home-for-upstairs-downstairs-91466-27828194/ WalesOnline. Cardiff Bay Drama Village 'new home for Upstairs Downstairs']
  11. "BBC - Filming starts on CBBC's Wizards Vs Aliens - Media Centre".
  12. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/10402789.stm BBC News. Work starts on BBC Wales drama village in Cardiff Bay]
  13. Proposed BBC Drama Village at Media Capital, Roath Basin]

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

buildings-and-structures-completed-in-20112011-establishments-in-walesbbc-offices,-studios-and-buildingstelevision-in-walesbritish-television-studiosbuildings-and-structures-in-cardiffbbc-cymru-wales