Work starts on Liverpool’s film studios

“Liverpool’s film and TV sector has flourished in the past decade and these purpose built sound stages symbolise how far the city has come as one of Europe’s leading go-to locations,” added Councillor Wendy Simon, Acting Mayor of Liverpool.

“Being adjacent to the future Littlewoods Film Studios, these high-end facilities means the city will be able to provide the industry with a complete support package and I can’t wait to see them welcoming their first productions.

“There’s already a huge amount of interest to book these studios, which underlines their value, but they will also prove to be a fabulous asset for training and nurturing talent in Liverpool.”

According to the film office, Liverpool hosted 212 productions this year, with 670 filming days. These boosted the local economy by nearly £13.5m and supported 490 jobs. That was a fall on last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020 productions included Netflix’s Munich 38, Sky’s COBRA, The Batman (Warner Bros), The Irregulars (Netflix), Time (BBC) and So Awkward (CBBC).

“During the first lockdown we worked hard to put plans in place which would enable filming to return in a covid-safe manner. One of the first major projects to make those plans a reality was the biggest movie being filmed in the world at that time – The Batman – so we don’t do things be halves in the Film Office!” said Lynn Saunders, Manager of Liverpool Film Office.

“Seeing filming back in the city region feels right. We lost nearly six months when it should have been our busiest time of year, but as the report shows, our production figures remain strong which I’m incredibly proud of.”