• Swindon & Wiltshire Culture
• Friday June 14 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol-filmed drama returns to TV screens for fifth season

A TV adaptation of Enid Blyton’s boarding school classic Malory Towers has returned to screens this week, with many of the interior scenes filmed at Bristol’s The Bottle Yard Studios.

Series five’s shoot marked the first time that the children’s drama has based production at a UK studio.

For series one to four, the interiors of the ‘Malory Towers’ school were built in a Canadian studio, but for series five the extensive sets were built at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, giving the production team convenient access to its regular Devon and Cornwall locations including Hartland Abbey near Bideford, which features as the school’s grand exterior.

Filming took place in August and September last year and began screening on CBBC and BBC iPlayer on Monday, June 10.

Jo Sargent, managing director of King Bert Productions, said: “We were thrilled to have Malory Towers based in the South West for Series 5.

“With our location filming taking place in North Devon, Cornwall and Bristol, The Bottle Yard Studios has been the perfect home for our sets and allowed us to maximise the use of regional crew and suppliers.

“The Bottle Yard is an excellent studio and the team were very supportive during production.”

Laura Aviles, head of film at Bristol City Council, said: “Quality children’s drama is a vital part of the film and TV production sector in the South West of England and we were so pleased that our facilities at The Bottle Yard Studios fitted the bill so well when the production moved its studio base from Canada to the UK.”

Last month, Bristol won the prestigious City of Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival.