Culture secretary Lisa Nandy visited the world-famous studio in Iver to help announce a brand-new film hub spurred by new tax breaks for independent filmmakers in the UK.

Pinewood, which is home to big-budget franchises Star Wars and James Bond, unveiled plans for the new ‘hub’ on Wednesday, October 9.

The ‘state-of-the-art’ production space will include new sound stages and workshop areas, with “services and packages designed to meet the unique needs of lower-budget independent films” in a drive to capitalise on the UK’s pool of future industry talent.

It will reportedly be serviced entirely by renewable energy sources and begin welcoming lower-scale productions next summer.

It comes after Buckinghamshire Council reiterated its opposition to the Marlow Film Studios plans this week – a controversial project proposed for greenbelt land near the A404 which was recently ‘called in’ on appeal by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

But the local authority appears to be behind Pinewood’s drive to boost the county’s profile in the film and entertainment industry – with leader Martin Tett praising the hub’s capacity to “bring more productions to our wealth of unique locations across the county”.

And – alongside Ms Nandy – Pinewood has recruited a veritable array of big names to back its most recent expansion, with Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha, 1917 producer Pippa Harris and chief executive of the British Film Institute Ben Reports all getting behind “the government’s support of the independent sector”.

Ms Nandy said: “Pinewood’s new state-of-the-art facility will be a huge boost for the UK’s indie filmmakers, offering first-rate infrastructure and on-site expertise to bring more British productions to the big screen.

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“Together with our new indie film tax relief, we are delivering targeted investment and support for the UK’s world-leading screen industries, designed to inspire more award-winning storytelling, help drive economic growth and strengthen Britain’s competitive edge in a fierce global market.”

Pinewood announced the decision to axe its TV production arm last week – shelving the production of programmes including RuPaul’s Drag Race, Taskmaster and Would I Lie To You from 2025 onwards.

And while some drew a correlation with “the oversupply of studio space in the UK”, it now appears the move was a tactical shift to prioritise film rather than TV output.

An industry insider said last Thursday that the closure might be due to a full calendar of big-screen productions, “with no need for non-contemporaneous TV shoots to fill in the gaps between film work” or a drop in demand for TV, likely driven by “changes to advertising revenue”.

A spokesperson for Pinewood said the closure won’t impact TV shows already booked for 2024 and 2025, nor any other film or TV productions at its sites.

Adding: “We have started a consultation process with colleagues who are affected (and) we are very proud of the work our TV team has delivered over the years, having hosted many major titles for the UK’s broadcasters.”