Bristol City Council’s sale of UK’s Bottle Yard Studios falls through
Upcoming series The Forsytes was filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios
A deal to sell The Bottle Yard Studios, the largest TV and film studio in the West of England, has fallen through, Bristol City Council has confirmed.
Bristol-based Bottle Yard has hosted filming for major TV dramas such as the BBC’s historical epic Poldark, as well as The Pale Horse to Sanditon, Sherlock, The Outlaws and the upcoming The Forsytes.
Current owners Bristol City Council have been pursuing options for the future ownership model of the studios “in the face of a changing film and TV studio market,” admitting that the current ownership model has “hit a glass ceiling.”
Last October, Bristol City Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee agreed to try to find a buyer for Bottle Yard’s leasehold. In the intervening months, the council met with prospective bidders and identified a potential buyer, entering a three-month exclusivity period to allow detailed negotiations.
Following a period of due diligence, though, the sale with the unnamed interested party fell through, leaving Bottle Yard’s future clouded in uncertainty.
It comes after the economic impact of filming on location in Bristol and at The Bottle Yard Studios rose by 55% in 2024-25 to an estimated £46.6m (US$62.7m), according to the latest annual figures from the Bristol Film Office.
However, a commissioning crisis in both the UK and US screen sectors has seen the long-term viability of some of the country’s studio facilities called into question, with concerns raised last year about a potential oversupply after studio space in the UK doubled between 2021 and 2024.
Councillor Tony Dyer, chair of the strategy and resources committee at Bristol City Council, said: “In the absence of an agreement being reached I have asked that officers conduct a further appraisal of the options for maximising the value and benefits of the studios before returning to our committee with further recommendations.
“We entered into this process with the objective of securing a sustainable future for the studios and the opportunity to grow into its huge potential. Those aims remain the same as does our determination to ensure that one of our city’s most successful regeneration projects continues an upward trajectory to deliver more jobs and more investment for Bristol.”
Councillor Ani Townsend, co-chair, Bristol One City Culture Board, said: “It’s vital that if we are to continue to see the film and TV sector deliver positive social and economic benefits for Bristol then we must maximise the potential of the studios. I look forward to engaging with officers, partners and fellow councillors in the next steps for the studios.”
Established in 2010, Bottle Yard comprises of 11 stages across two sites. Recent shows filmed there include Disney+ literary adaptation Rivals and action-drama Alex Rider, for Amazon FreeVee. Film and TV production is worth an estimated £20m to Bristol’s economy.
Earlier this month, London-based investment firm Cain International withdrew its backing for Crown Works Studios, the major new studio development in the north-east of England, which is hoped to be one of the largest high-end television (HETV) and filmmaking complexes in Europe.
