Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of

the Pinewood Studios Group Pinewood Group Limited (formerly Pinewood Group plc and Pinewood Shepperton plc) is a British multinational film studio and television studio company with headquarters in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. The group runs Pinewood Studios ...

. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused with the Californian recording studio of the same name).

History

1930s–1960s

Shepperton Studios was built on the grounds of Littleton Park, which was built in the 17th century by local nobleman Thomas Wood. The old mansion still stands on the site. Scottish businessman Norman Loudon purchased Littleton Park in 1931 for use by his new film company, Sound Film Producing & Recording Studios; the facility opened in 1932. The studios, which produced both short and feature films, expanded rapidly. Proximity to the Vickers-Armstrongs aircraft factory at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields ...

, which attracted German bombers, disrupted filming during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, as did the requisitioning of the studios in 1941 by the government, who first used it for sugar storage and later to create decoy aircraft and munitions for positioning in the Middle East. The Ministry of Aircraft Production also took over part of the studios for the production of

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its ...

bomber components early in the war. After re-opening in 1945, the studios changed hands. When Sir Alexander Korda purchased

British Lion Films British Lion Films is a film production and distribution company active under several forms since 1919. Originally known as British Lion Film Corporation Ltd, it entered receivership on 1 June 1954. From 29 January 1955 to 1976, the company was kn ...

, he also acquired a controlling interest in Sound City and Shepperton Studios. Among the films in which he was involved during this period were '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948) and '' The Third Man'' (1949) which was shot both at the studios and on location and has been referred to as the best British '' film noir''. In spite of such successes, British Lion ran into financial difficulties in the 1950s when it was unable to repay a 1949 loan from the National Film Finance Corporation and went into receivership on 1 July 1954. In January 1955, a new company, British Lion Films Ltd, was formed and Roy and John Boulting took over at Shepperton Studios. Their comedies, such as '' I'm All Right Jack'' (1959), were produced there, as were dramas from other film-makers such as J. Lee Thompson's '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961). The studio's other projects from the same decade include

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's '' Dr Strangelove'' (1964) and the musical '' Oliver!'' (1968), which won the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

1970s–present

Despite the financial ups and downs of British Lion and the changing of hands, the studios remained active until the early 1970s. In 1969, the studios produced 27 films; by 1971 this number had fallen to seven. Production throughout the 1970s was erratic, reaching a low of two films by 1979. Among the problems faced by Shepperton Studios during this time was the desire of new British Lion director John Bentley to sell the grounds for housing, since redeveloping the land would have nearly doubled its value. A compromise was proposed, and in 1973 the area of the studios was reduced from to . The studios' 1970s credits include Kubrick's ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' and Jimmy Perry and David Croft's '' Dad's Army'' (both 1971), Richard Attenborough's '' Young Winston'' (1972) and Fred Zinnemann's '' The Day of the Jackal'' (1973). Also around this time, the rock group

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

filmed some concert scenes at Shepperton that were used in their live concert film, " The Song Remains the Same". These scenes were used to fill gaps in footage of a Madison Square Garden concert from 1973. In 1975, the studios were again transferred to new ownership and in spite of sparse production schedules served as the filming site of some high-budget productions, including Richard Donner's '' The Omen'' (1976), Franklin Schaffner's '' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978), Ridley Scott's ''

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

'' (1979), David Lynch's '' The Elephant Man'' (1980), Attenborough's '' Gandhi'' (1982) and David Lean's '' A Passage to India'' (1984). In 1978, rock band

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

filmed live concert scenes at Shepperton for their documentary '' The Kids Are Alright'' (1979). These turned out to be the band's final live performance with drummer Keith Moon, who died later that year. In 1984, Shepperton Studios changed hands coming under the control of brothers John and Benny Lee, who renovated the studios but soon lost control as a result of the "

Black Monday Black Monday refers to specific Mondays when undesirable or turbulent events have occurred. It has been used to designate massacres, military battles, and stock market crashes. Historic events *1209, Dublin – when a group of 500 recently arriv ...

" of 1987, the

1988 Writers Guild of America strike The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike was a strike action taken by members of both the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) against major United States television and film studios represented by ...

and internal issues within their company, Lee International. Bankers

Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a global private equity firm, headquartered in New York, with offices in the United States, Europe, Brazil, China, Southeast Asia and India. Warburg has been a private equity investor since 1966. The firm currently has over ...

acquired the studios, which became busy with the filming of TV shows including '' Thomas & Friends'' and its sister series, ''

TUGS A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

'', as well as such films as

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (1990), Kevin Reynolds' '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' (1991) and

Nicholas Hytner Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (; born 7 May 1956) is an English theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes as director include '' Miss Saigon'', ''T ...

's '' The Madness of King George'' (1994). In 1995, the studios were purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which led to an extensive renovation of the studios as well as the expansion and improvement of its grounds. In 2001, Shepperton Studios was sold to the

Pinewood Group Pinewood Group Limited (formerly Pinewood Group plc and Pinewood Shepperton plc) is a British multinational film studio and television studio company with headquarters in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. The group runs Pinewood Studios an ...

, which also owns Pinewood Studios in the UK, as well as Pinewood Studio Berlin in Germany, Pinewood Toronto Studios in Canada, Pinewood Indomina Studios in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Malaysia. In July 2019,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

announced that it would be opening a hub at the studios. In November 2021, Netflix announced that it would extend its long-term deal with the studios. The studio's owner Pinewood Group also announced that the studios would expend approximately 1 million square feet of the new production space, with the overall studio set to comprise 17 sound stages. In February 2022, Amazon Prime Video signed a multi-million pound long-term deal with the studios for exclusive use of new production facilities.

Stages and locations

Shepperton Studios has 15 stages, ranging in size from to , five of which are equipped with interior tanks for water and underwater filming. Although often described as the home of independent film and TV production in the UK, the studios have also served as a production base for big-budget films such as '' Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011), the filming for which used eight of the fifteen stages. The British TV series '' Thomas & Friends'' was shot on the "T Stage" from 1984 to 2008, after which the live action models originally used were replaced with computer animation. The nearby Little House and surrounding grounds have been used as a filming location for films such as '' The Omen'' (1976) and '' The Young Victoria'' (2009). The studios also have two large backlots, which were used to create two castle compounds for the film ''

47 Ronin 47, 47 or forty-seven may refer to: *47 (number) *47 BC * AD 47 *1947 * 2047 * '47 (brand), an American clothing brand * ''47'' (magazine), an American publication * 47 (song), a song by Sidhu Moose Wala *47, a song by New Found Glory from the al ...

''.

Selected film credits

Many films have used Shepperton Studios, including (in chronological order):

1930s

*''

Reunion Reunion may refer to: * Class reunion * Family reunion Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to: Places * Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean * Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, US ...

'' (1932) *'' The Ghoul'' (1933) *'' Menace'' (1934) *'' Colonel Blood'' (1934) *'' Rolling Home'' (1935) *'' Birds of a Feather'' (1936) *'' Reasonable Doubt'' (1936) *'' Second Bureau'' (1936) *''

It's Never Too Late to Mend ''It's Never Too Late to Mend'' (alternatively just ''Never Too Late to Mend''; US release title ''Never Too Late'') is a 1937 British melodrama film directed by David MacDonald and starring Tod Slaughter, Jack Livesey and Marjorie Taylor. In ...

'' (1937)

1940s

*'' The Fallen Idol'' (1948) *'' The Third Man'' (1949) *'' Gone To Earth'' (1949)

1950s

*'' The Tales of Hoffmann'' (1951) *'' The Holly and the Ivy'' (1952) *'' An Inspector Calls'' (1954) *'' Richard III'' (1955) *'' The End of the Affair'' (1955) *'' It's a Wonderful World'' (1956) *'' A King in New York (1957) *''

The Passionate Stranger ''The Passionate Stranger'' (U.S. ''A Novel Affair'') is a 1957 British drama film, directed by Muriel Box and starring Margaret Leighton and Ralph Richardson. It uses the film within a film device, with the "real" part of the plot shot in bl ...

(1957) *''

Suddenly, Last Summer ''Suddenly Last Summer'' is a one-act play by Tennessee Williams, written in New York in 1957. It opened off Broadway on January 7, 1958, as part of a double bill with another of Williams' one-acts, '' Something Unspoken'' (written in London i ...

'' (1959) *'' Left, Right and Centre'' (1959)

1960s

*'' Mysterious Island'' (1961) *'' The Innocents'' (1961) *''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

'' (1962) *''

The Painted Smile ''The Painted Smile'' is a 1962 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Liz Fraser, Kenneth Griffith, Peter Reynolds (actor), Peter Reynolds and Tony Wickert. The film was known in the USA as ''Murder Can Be Deadly''. Plot T ...

'' (1962) *'' The Servant'' (1963) *''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'', known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'', is a 1964 black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and ...

'' (1964) *''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'' (1964) *'' The Spy Who Came In from the Cold'' (1965) *'' Dr. Who and the Daleks'' (1965) *'' The Bedford Incident'' (1965) *''

Lord Jim ''Lord Jim'' is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in ''Blackwood's Magazine'' from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, i ...

'' (1965) *'' Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' (1966) *'' Georgy Girl'' (1966) * ''Fathom'' (1967) *'' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968) *'' Oliver!'' (1968)

1970s

*'' Scrooge'' (1970) *'' Dad's Army'' (1971) *'' Young Winston'' (1972) *'' Psychomania'' (1973) *'' The Return of the Pink Panther'' (1975) *'' The Omen'' (1976) *'' Star Wars'' (1977) *'' The Boys from Brazil'' (1978) *'' Superman'' (1978) *''

'' (1979) *'' The Kids Are Alright'' (1979) * ''The Martian Chronicles'' (TV miniseries, 1979)

1980s

*'' The Elephant Man'' (1980) *'' Flash Gordon'' (1980) *'' Saturn 3'' (1980) *''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's ...

'' (1982) *'' Gandhi'' (1982) *'' The Pirates of Penzance'' (1983) *'' A Passage to India'' (1984) *'' Out of Africa'' (1985) *''

The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to: * ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...

'' (1987) *''

Cry Freedom ''Cry Freedom'' is a 1987 epic apartheid drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, set in late-1970s apartheid-era South Africa. The screenplay was written by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods. ...

'' (1987) *'' Gorillas in the Mist'' (1988) *''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'' (1989)

1990s

*''

'' (1990) *'' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' (1991) *'' Chaplin'' (1992) *'' The Muppet Christmas Carol'' (1992) *'' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) *'' The Madness of King George'' (1994) *'' Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' (1994) *'' Judge Dredd'' (1995) *'' Restoration'' (1995) *'' Sense and Sensibility'' (1995) *'' Muppet Treasure Island'' (1996) *'' The Wind in the Willows'' (1996) *'' Evita'' (1996) *'' 101 Dalmatians'' (1996) *''

G.I. Jane ''G.I. Jane'' is a 1997 American war drama film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, and Anne Bancroft. The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo special operations training similar to the ...

'' (1997) *'' The Borrowers '' (1997) *''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' (1998) *'' Shakespeare in Love'' (1998) *''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places * Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...

'' (1999) *'' Notting Hill'' (1999) *'' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999)

2000s

*'' Billy Elliot'' (2000) *'' Chocolat'' (2000) *'' Gladiator'' (2000) *'' Bridget Jones's Diary'' (2001) *'' Gosford Park'' (2001) *'' Just Visiting'' (2001) *'' Spy Game'' (2001) *'' The Mummy Returns'' (2001) *'' About a Boy'' (2002) *'' Bend It Like Beckham'' (2002) *'' Dirty Pretty Things'' (2002) *'' The Four Feathers'' (2002) *''

Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television p ...

'' (2003) *''

The Life of David Gale ''The Life of David Gale'' is a 2003 dramatic crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Charles Randolph. The film is an international co-production, between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. It was Parker's fin ...

'' (2003) *'' Alexander'' (2004) *'' Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'' (2004) *'' Finding Neverland'' (2004) *''

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The book follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a young wizard (fantasy), wizard ...

'' (2004) *'' Troy'' (2004) *'' Wimbledon'' (2004) *'' Batman Begins'' (2005) *'' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005) *'' Mrs Henderson Presents'' (2005) *'' Sahara'' (2005) *'' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) *'' The Da Vinci Code'' (2006) *'' Atonement'' (2007) *'' Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' (2007) *'' The Golden Compass'' (2007) *'' Doomsday'' (2008) *''

Mutant Chronicles ''Mutant Chronicles'' is a pen-and-paper role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world, originally published in 1993. It has spawned a franchise of collectible card games, miniature wargames, video games, novels, comic books, and a film ...

'' (2008) *''

Cheri Cheri or Chéri may refer to: People Given name * Cheri Blauwet (born 1980), American wheelchair racer * Cheri Dennis (born 1979), American singer * Cheri DiNovo (born 1950), Canadian United Church minister and social democratic politician * Che ...

'' (2009) *'' Inkheart'' (2009) *'' Moon'' (2009) *'' Nine'' (2009) *'' The Boat That Rocked'' (2009) *'' The Young Victoria'' (2009)

2010s

*'' Centurion'' (2010) *'' Clash of the Titans'' (2010) *'' Iron Man 2'' (2010) *'' Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'' (2010) *'' Robin Hood'' (2010) *'' Captain America: The First Avenger'' (2011) *'' Hugo'' (2011) *'' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'' (2011) *'' Anna Karenina'' (2012) *'' John Carter'' (2012) *'' Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) *''

Gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

'' (2013) *'' World War Z'' (2013) *''

Jack the Giant Slayer ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' (previously titled ''Jack the Giant Killer'') is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, from a story by Lemke and David Dobki ...

'' (2013) *'' Thor: The Dark World'' (2013) *'' Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014) *''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (2014) *'' Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015) *'' Victor Frankenstein'' (2015) *'' Alice Through the Looking Glass'' (2016) *'' Doctor Strange'' (2016) *''

Patient Zero The index case or patient zero is the first documented patient in a disease epidemic within a population, or the first documented patient included in an epidemiological study. It can also refer to the first case of a condition or syndrome (not ...

'' (2016) *'' Beauty and the Beast'' (2017) *''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

'' (2017) *''

Christopher Robin Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, based on his son Christopher Robin Milne. The character appears in the author's popular books of poetry and ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' stories, and has subsequently appeared in various Disney ...

'' (2018) *'' Holmes & Watson'' (2018) *'' Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' (2018) *'' Mary Poppins Returns'' (2018) *'' Detective Pikachu'' (2019) *'' Downton Abbey'' (2019) *'' Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw'' (2019) *'' Rocketman'' (2019) *'' 1917'' (2019)

2020s

*'' Dolittle'' (2020) *'' The Old Guard'' (2020) *'' The Midnight Sky'' (2020) *'' Cruella'' (2021) *'' The Bubble'' (2022) *'' Matilda the Musical'' (2022) *''

Enola Holmes 2 ''Enola Holmes 2'' is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film '' Enola Holmes'', both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The ...

'' (2022) *'' Heart of Stone'' (2023)

Selected television credits

*'' 8 Out of 10 Cats'' (2014) *'' Anatomy of a Scandal'' (2022) *'' Big Ticket'' (1998) *'' The Crystal Maze'' (1990) *'' Dancing on Ice'' (2011) *'' Rebecca'' (1997) *'' Red Dwarf'' (1991–1999; 2009; 2012) *'' Russell Howard's Good News'' (2014) *'' Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2008) *'' ''TUGS'''' (1989) *'' Gladiators'' (2008–2009) *'' You Bet!'' (1988–1997) *'' The Vicar of Dibley'' (1994–2000) *'' Last of the Summer Wine'' (1990–2010) *'' 1899'' (2022)

References

External links

Shepperton Studios

The Pinewood Studios Group

Official history

Shepperton Studios Biography
{{Coord, 51, 24, 24.80, N, 0, 27, 54.65, W, region:GB-SRY_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title British film studios Film production companies of the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Surrey Television studios in England Companies based in Surrey Borough of Spelthorne Best Sound Mixing Academy Award winners British companies established in 1931 Entertainment companies established in 1931 Mass media companies established in 1931 1931 establishments in England 1984 mergers and acquisitions 2001 mergers and acquisitions BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award