“The Girl Before required a build space with dimensions that would allow us to construct a two-storey house, which was quite a challenge to find. The Film Office and Bottle Yard Studios stepped in at the twelfth hour and helped facilitate the shoot to run smoothly, both in the studio and at our various Bristol locations, in challenging times.”

“We benefitted from the huge variety of available locations in and in close proximity to this very photogenic city. Bristol is extremely film friendly; terrific crews, a great production base at The Bottle Yard Studios, a thriving technical and creative community and easy access to a wide range of locations. It is no wonder that so many productions are finding their way to Bristol. I for one want to return as soon as possible.”

“After the very first national lock down happened in March 2020, we were only 12 days into shooting Series 1 when we had to shut down. When we started filming, we had no plans to build any sets at all, but during lockdown Series 2 was commissioned, so when we came back up, we came back with not just six but 12 hours of TV. Due to Covid, we made the decision to build most of our locations at the studios instead of shooting live on location. The Bottle Yard Studios and Bristol Film Office could not have been more flexible and more supportive to our ever-changing circumstances. I would return to shoot in Bristol in a heartbeat.”

“We had a great time filming at The Bottle Yard Studios and in and around Bath and Bristol. Fantastic locations and talented local crew all contributed to a show we are very proud of. Being one of the first shows to film with Covid procedures in place was a challenge that was crucially supported by the Studios and Film Office, which helped everything run very smoothly.”

“This is a unique story about Salisbury so we were keen to film there as much as possible. However, we didn’t want to remind its residents of the extraordinary, disruptive events they experienced in 2018 by recreating big set pieces there. The drama includes news archive from the time, so our locations needed to be as authentic as possible. Bristol has a wealth of modern and period architecture and is very film-friendly. We were hugely supported by the Film Office and The Bottle Yard Studios in finding our key locations and in the filming of this sensitive production.”

“It was an absolute pleasure to shoot McDonald & Dodds against the backdrop of modern Bath and Bristol, and we’re hugely grateful to the local communities for being so welcoming. The location takes centre stage in the series, and has provided us with a wealth of varied sites – from impressive Grade II listed buildings, cathedrals and gardens; to hospitals, libraries and gyms. In addition, it was wonderful to return to The Bottle Yard Studios to shoot an array of the interior scenes for the series. As such an easily accessible and versatile space to work in, it was the ideal base for the drama.”

“What you have created here in Bristol is very special. To be able to produce a major drama with over 80 speaking parts and up to 500 people working on it, and to find everything you need in one city that you can get around so easily compared to London, is a remarkable thing. Bristol deserves a BAFTA for the best place to make drama.”

“We were immediately drawn to Bristol and the South West. There is a wealth of locations in this area, perfect for period drama, and particularly the Georgian period where our story is set. The country houses, Bath and its elegant Regency architecture, even the Somerset coastline all offer a wide range of locations perfect for Sanditon. The Bottle Yard Studios are perfectly located to access these locations, and they have more to offer. Sanditon was always going to require an element of set building, as is often the case with continuing drama productions of this size. The construction and studio spaces at the Bottle Yard have made Bristol the obvious place to base.”

“The studios are ideally located for access to a huge range of historic locations and they provided a really convenient and well-managed base for our interior Palace of Westminster sets. The facilities on site, and locally, were a real asset to our production.”

“Hellboy was the fourth – and biggest – film that I’ve shot in my home city and Bristol never disappoints; it’s an exceptional place in which to make a movie. The city and its surroundings has every sort of filming location a director could want. The Bottle Yard is a Grade A facility, perfect for our production base and Bristol Film Office is second to none.

“There’s a terrifically strong talent base here which is growing every year. Access to this talent, to the excellent locations and to the Studios are huge incentives for productions to base themselves here. Bristol continues to be a renowned centre of excellence for HETV production – Hellboy puts Bristol on the US studio radar as a city in which to shoot big budget films too.”

“Filming in Bristol at The Bottle Yard Studios was a genuinely happy experience. The cast and crew immediately felt at home, the facilities and staff were top rate, and the shoot ran smoothly due in no small part to their help. What more could we as producers ask for?”

“As series four of Poldark has grown bigger than ever, with Poldark’s sights set on Westminster, we needed more space than ever and The Bottle Yard has it. In three studios, we have 18 sets, including five composite houses and a period-correct scale replica of the House of Commons. We’re looking forward to what we can build next year!”

“The Bottle Yard’s green screen is an invaluable resource to have here in Bristol and incredibly useful for productions like ours which rely on compositing archive from the world famous natural history unit. By using this facility and the space it offers, we’re able to bring ambitious and complex content to life, simulating all sorts of scenes from climbing and driving, to flying and swimming. There’s no better filming playground in the world than a green screen studio!”

“Locations played a huge part in deciding where we wanted to film. The West country seemed like the right choice. Not only are Bristol crew incredibly skilled, the landscape seemed to fit with the idea of a big music festival. The Bottle Yard Studios was the ideal production base, with sets built for weather cover, and easy access to some terrific Bristol locations. Colston Hall doubling for our university graduation scene and the residential houses in the adjacent area worked well to fit the idea of pretty suburbia England. Not to mention the incredible food scene Bristol now has, the cast and crew could not have been happier to be in Bristol for three months.”

“We greatly enjoy filming at The Bottle Yard Studios. As Fizz is part of RDF, we benefit from having a large and well-established Bristol based production office in RDF West. This has helped us to work with some of the best local production talent available. Fizz is committed to regional production and we’re delighted to be making Tipping Point in Bristol.”

“Being at The Bottle Yard enabled us to do justice to what we wanted to keep from the original show, whilst at the same time pushing it forward in the places we felt there was an opportunity to. Not only did we have the space to build a maze that’s bigger and better than before, we could also navigate two jibs and a technocrane around the four Zones and the Dome. The Studios’ infrastructure was also a real gamechanger, with workshops, gallery facilities and production offices all close by.

“From day one the whole Bottle Yard team were so enthusiastic about us being here. When making a show like this, there are so many logistical challenges to overcome under tight schedules and it makes a world of difference to work in a place where you know people have got your back.”

“The presence of the Bottle Yard as a filming resource in Bristol has been an enormous boon to the local film industry. Nearly all our crew and equipment are based in the Bristol region and we are delighted also to be able to use locations in the communities of Filwood, Brislington and St Anne’s. All the local residents have been exceptionally welcoming.”

“We have made seven series and three Christmas specials at The Bottle Yard Studios. We always felt very well looked after, Fiona and the team make sure the production runs as smoothly as possible so that there was no drama, just pure comedy. Sustainability is important to us and The Bottle Yard was a great partner to have to ensure that we retained our Albert 3-star status.”

“We knew from the early location scouts that the natural scenic beauty of the area was a good fit for the production, but seeing the facilities at The Bottle Yard and discovering there was such an strong infrastructure already in place made the decision to shoot [The White Princess] in Bristol an easy one.”

“Filming at The Bottle Yard has been a really good experience – the studio itself is a great space but given all the other facilities on site from lighting rigs to camera hire, it made the whole operation remarkably efficient.”

“With multiple studios, including a full green screen stage, prop storage and construction, The Bottle Yard provides the best studio facilities in the West country. [Fiona’s] understanding of the film industry makes her team flexible and proactive, a valuable asset to any production. The studio areas are spacious and easily facilitated with an excellent choice of 3rd party companies on site and in the surrounding area that can supplement almost every department.

“Virtually any location you can think of can be found within an hour of The Bottle Yard and Bristol Film Office has great local knowledge and do everything they can to assist with finding locations and supporting filming. All of this combined with Bristol’s ample supply of highly experienced crew, contributed to the choice of using The Bottle Yard Studios an easy one.”

“With our Broadchurch world well and truly established in the South West, Bristol was the perfect production base. Better still, The Bottle Yard not only enabled us to house our production offices, studio and storage under one roof, it is also located brilliantly for access when filming in central Bristol or indeed the outskirts. The Bottle Yard team have been reachable and supportive every step of the way, and above all have made us feel incredibly at home in Bristol.

“When navigating your way through the many challenges of producing eight hours of scripted drama, it’s so important to weigh up every logistical aspect of the production, to give yourselves the best chance of achieving high standards. I can without a doubt say that our set up at The Bottle Yard helped us hugely and I very much hope to return there with work in the not too distant future.”

“Locally based writer Ashley Pharoah set The Living and the Dead in 1894 rural Somerset, so The Bottle Yard Studios seemed the perfect spot for our production. Having been based here the year before with Poldark, I knew we could access great crews, and a wide variety of locations within a short distance, as well as being able to construct our sets on one of their stages. The Bottle Yard team have made us feel very welcome once again.”

“We chose The Bottle Yard Studios as they had great spaces for our set builds, gave us outstanding access to Cornwall where we filmed over the summer and are increasingly a thriving production centre which made it a really good base for the Poldark team.”

“The Bottle Yard Studios was the perfect place for us to base Wolf Hall. It was convenient for our locations across the West of England and the adaptable space allowed us all the flexibility and facilities we need.”

“It’s been great shooting in and around Bristol. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and helpful. The Bottle Yard was a great studio to work in and as we had set this special in Victorian times, the surrounding area was perfect for many of our locations.”

“We decided to base Galavant at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol because we were confident we’d get a first class service from Fiona Francombe and her team. The studio is conveniently situated for Bristol and the great locations that surround the city.”

“As a BBC Bristol production it’s great to have a studio here in the city, with the facilities, expertise and space to allow us to fully realise such a complex and ambitious series.”