Did you know that some of your favourite movies were filmed right here in London? Ealing Studios, a historic film studio located in the Borough of Ealing has been at the heart of British film making for over a century.
You may have heard of some of the first blockbuster films like Star Wars Episode 2 - The Attack of the Clones or TV hits such as Downton Abbey, The Crown, and even parts of The Durrells just to name a few.
Many others such as Bridget Jones, Notting Hill and Back to Black were all shot at Ealing as well as much older classics such as The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947), based on the renowned novel of the same name by Charles Dickens.
Between 1947 – 1957, the studios were affectionately known for the ‘Ealing Comedies’, a series of renowned post-war comedies such as The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), one of the earliest heist films, featuring distinctive British humour.
Ealing Studios were born when the site, known as the “White House” was initially purchased in 1902 for film making. One of the first recordings of Hamlet in 1910 was filmed at the Ealing site. Now, the grade II listed building is home to the oldest continuously running film studio in the world.
In 1938, film producer Michael Balcon acquired Ealing Studios before it was purchased by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) 17 years later. The BBC based their film department there, even recording episodes of Dr Who during the 1960s, for special effects.
Barnaby Thompson from Fragile Films, part of the group including the Manhattan Loft Corporation that took over Ealing Studios in 2000, said that “actors and directors love working at Ealing because of its incredible heritage.”
“You can feel the history in the walls”
In November 2022, Ealing Studios received permission to start a £20 million development project, which is currently undergoing construction, with four new buildings being built. Although it is modernising, the new facilities will be built in the same style as that of the original sound stages from 1931.
Ealing Studios, and the White House in which they are based are and have been a truly integral part of British film making since its founding in 1902 with celebrated British cinematographer Dougie Slocombe saying, “the best of what we did will be watched and remembered for years to come.”
