Yet Another UK Studio Opens: Versa London Hosts Simon Cowell ITV Format ‘Walk The Line’

Yet another London studio quietly opened this week, hosting Simon Cowell’s ITV format Walk The Line, with plans to launch Leeds and Manchester sites next year. Versa Studios says it will cover 330,000 sq ft once the three sites are up-and-running.

Versa London opened its doors last Sunday to host ITV format Walk The Line, which was created by Syco founder Cowell and has been stripped across this week. It has a 10,000 sq ft studio space and a further 20,000 sq ft of ancillary space including full production galleries, VIP dressing rooms, green rooms and production offices.

The other sites will open next year and create what Versa described as a “national network of studio infrastructure”,  hosting high-end dramas to quiz shows from the likes of ITV Studios and the BBC, along with production offices, post-production and workshops.

Versa Executive Director Charlie Ingall said: “Our future vision is a network of studios across the UK to meet the growing demand for content whilst ensuring we maintain the highest quality behind the VERSA brand. It’s been a tough 18 months for the industry, but we are proud to be at the forefront of providing the Covid-secure facilities that film and TV needs in order to bounce back.”

Alongside RD Studios and Troubadour Brent Cross Studios, Versa is the third London studio to be unveiled within the space of a week, as UK capacity swells to support the production boom.

According to the BFI’s Screen Business report, issued Monday, around £1BN ($1.3BN) was spent or pledged on UK studio space between 2017 and 2020.