granada tv studio tours

Granada Studios

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

• Deansgate-Castlefield • 7 min walk
• St Peter's Square • 10 min walk

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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GRANADA STUDIOS: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• (0.05 mi) Great John Street Hotel
• (0.09 mi) Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel
• (0.14 mi) Premier Inn Manchester City Centre West Hotel
• (0.17 mi) The Castlefield Hotel
• (0.21 mi) Moxy Manchester City
• (0.09 mi) Tattu
• (0.07 mi) Fenix Manchester
• (0.04 mi) Great John Street Hotel
• (0.10 mi) itsu
• (0.11 mi) Everyman Manchester St Johns

Who remembers Manchester’s legendary Granada Studios Tour?

Ahh the memories…

It was Manchester’s answer to Universal Studios, but with the Coronation Street set…

After a successful decade-long run of providing fun for Manchester, the demise of the Granada Studio Tour began after visitor numbers dwindled – meaning the tour sadly shut up shop for one last time.

One of the biggest reasons as to why can be put down to poor businesses practises at ITV, which saw the company lose millions.

The main culprit was the Sky-like service called ‘ONDigital’, which launched in 1998 and was forced into administration just four short years later.

It was pretty much the exact same concept as Sky, only the exclusive shows were essentially rubbish and the whole thing flopped.

At this point the Granada Studios Tour was seen as a large and unnecessary expense, and unfortunately closed down.

The tour was the brainchild of Granada producer David Plowright, who proposed to create a ‘Hollywood-on-the-Irwell‘ – and that he did. Sort of, anyway.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of @itvcorrie , let's flashback to my 2014 tour of the old set at Granada Studios. Even met @SherrieHewson . 🤩 #Corrie #Weatherfield #CoronationStreetTheTour #GranadaStudios #TheKabin #NicksBistro #SherrieHewson #Manchester #TVProduction #SetTour pic.twitter.com/EkbmKNkXI4 — Sean Bradley (@SeanB102) December 9, 2020

The tour first opened its doors in 1988, expecting to welcome 250,000 in the first year, but in the initial eight months alone 600,000 people visited to take in the sights.

Arguably the most popular attraction was the Coronation Street set which in 2013 moved to MediaCity, built on an even bigger scale with the chance to go inside too!

In 2018 Victoria Street was added, which features a garden and memorial bench paying tribute to the Manchester Arena bombing 22 victims and Coronation Street super fan Martyn Hett.

The old Granada Studios Tour might not have been the bright lights of LA or Hollywood, but you don’t get much more Mancunian than that cobbled street! 

What are your favourite memories of the tour? 

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Remembering Manchester’s lost underground market that now lies empty beneath the city

Do you have memories of shopping in the underground Market Centre?

Manchester used to have an underground market that now lies abandoned beneath the city centre.

If you walk along Market Street, you’re walking above what used to be the Market Centre – an underground shopping area filled with stalls and units selling music, clothes and a variety of other essential and non-essential items.

The underground Market Centre opened in 1972 and was a busy and bustling shopping emporium, much like the Arndale and Market Street both are today.

Punks would shop there for outfits, music fans could browse through the vinyl record shops and buy tickets to gigs at Piccadilly Box Office. It even had a Stolen from Ivor – which was the first place in Manchester to sell the jeans brand Levi’s, and where many would flock to get their hands on a pair of 501s.

Fashion addicts could hit up shops including Roxy, Oasis and Justins as well as a number of other boutique stalls, including the leather shop, for cool jackets.

DJs could sift through the collections at Underground Records Import and fans could shop at iconic music stalls including Collectors Records, Yvonne’s Record Stall, and the Spinn Inn Disc Centre.

The Market Centre was the place to be throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s until it closed down in 1989.

The entrance to it was located on Brown Street, with two other entrances on Norfolk Street and Spring Gardens. It  had escalators going down under the pavement that led to this total treasure trove.

If you head to the Tesco on Market Street and go down  to the lower level, you’re actually in what used to be part of the underground market.

But now it has fallen into disrepair, with the odd urban explorer who has dared to delve into the depth of the city to see what remains of this now eerie, decaying ghost market.

One explorer, known as Urban Sherman on YouTube, went down to have a look at what’s left of these once bustling underground stalls. Finding a way into where the old main entrance was located, down by the side of Tesco behind the food trailer, he climbs in and lands on the old steps with tiled walls.

As torches light up the dark depths of the city, we can see wires hanging, rubble strewn across the floor, graffiti on walls and one rusty sign that reads: “factory prices.”

It appears a wall of breeze blocks has been put up to block off any entry along the halls of the former market with the rest of it inaccessible, only to live on in the memories of those who once shopped there, and in old archived photographs.

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The legendary nightclubs that Mancunians would most like to bring back

Remember any of these?

We asked our readers which nightclubs that no longer exist they would choose to bring back – and we got some great answers.

If you could choose just one, which would it be?

Here’s a list of former nightclubs that people would love to see return, as chosen by Proper Manchester readers .

The Boardwalk

The Boardwalk was a nightclub based on Little Peter Street in Manchester which was open from 1986 to 1999. It was a multi-floor nightclub, gig venue and rehearsal complex all in one.

It’s where Oasis played their first ever gig in 1992 and saw many notable bands that were a part of the Madchester music scene, including the likes of Inspiral Carpets, Doves, Happy Mondays, James and more. These days, it’s used as an office space.

There’s a blue plaque bolted to the wall which reads: “Remember me. I was something once.” It has a yellow smiley face in a nod to the Madchester acid house era.

Club Phoenix

Located on University Precinct, on Oxford Road, this sweatbox of a student dive would have music blaring on different nights, playing everything from indie bangers to dance classics and everything in between.

It was a scream club filled with young students looking for cheap drinks and cheap thrills too. There were plenty of messy drunken shenanigans. Being close to the Academy, it would be a great place for the young ‘uns to go for pre-gig bevvies.

The New Continental Club

The New Continental Club was on Harter Street, Manchester and opened in 1967 . It was affectionately known as The Conti. It closed in 2001 and became The Tube nightclub, which has also since closed.

Many nurses and frontline emergency services workers frequented The Conti and many say they experienced some of the best nights out of their lives. 

The narrow staircase would lead down to the basement club, food would be served through a hatch and the queues to the toilets could be as long as your arm – they were pretty minging too.

Discotheque Royales

Built in 1845, the building was originally made to be an amphitheatre. But in 1921 it was changed into a cinema after facing stiff competition from the Palace Theatre and Opera House.

After being used as a bingo hall, the historic landmark then became one of Manchester’s most iconic nightclubs known by most as ‘Royales’, since 1989. In later years it went on to become Infinity and M-Two but Royales was legendary throughout the ‘90s.

Inside, it had many levels and a huge dance floor that was meant to look like it was lit up under a huge chandelier. With long draped velvet curtains, lights and reflective mirrors everywhere, it was party central.

DJ Brutus Gold held Love Train nights there until the show moved to the Ritz in 2000.

Fifth Avenue

This club started out as Legend, which  became known as Manchester’s ‘other club’ during the ‘80s and the height of the Hacienda era, and saw top DJs who also played nights at Wigan Pier.

When it became Fifth Ave it was transformed into an indie music haven. As revellers walked down into the dingy basement and the whiff of cheap bleach in the air would hit them in the face, some of the best tunes from Manchester bands would be blasting, as partygoers walked straight across the sticky floor to the bar where they’d order a drink served in a plastic cup.

Club-goers soon got to know that if you went up to request a song from the DJ, it wouldn’t get played. In later years, it became known simply as Fifth, after owners tried a bit of a refresh.

But as the pandemic hit, the club sat empty and shuttered, and sadly never to return as it closed for good in 2021.

Twisted Wheel Club

It quickly became a Manchester institution after opening in the ‘60s, attracting mods across the North looking for somewhere to dance all night to rhythm and blues.

Before Twisted Wheel, clubs would play mainstream popular music. This Manchester establishment was groundbreaking and paved the way for how nightclubs would play different music genres to suit various tastes in the future.

Twisted Wheel, based on Swan Street, was a legendary haven for Northern Soul enthusiasts. It closed for a while in 1971, being renamed Placemate 7, then Follies. The club closed for good in 2021.

Thunderdome

If the Hacienda was too pretentious for you, or you got turned away at the door, there was another legendary Madchester club playing all the great acid house music buzzing dancers wanted to rave the night away to – it was called the Thunderdome.

Located at 255 Oldham Road, this club was all about the music. It was edgier, full of all walks of life and was even home to some of Manchester’s criminal underworld. Many fondly referred to it as the ‘Dome.

Initially, although it felt a bit dangerous, nobody wanted any trouble, they just wanted to get off their trolley and enjoy the music. But over the years there were police raids and even helicopters circling the club as well as undercover officers wearing yellow smiley face T-shirts mingling in amongst the hooligans, gang members and just generally dodgy people.

Unfortunately, its rough reputation has stuck with it to this day, while the Hacienda is remembered most as the epicentre of the Madchester acid house scene. The Thunderdome was demolished in 2010 but its legend lives on in the memories of retired ravers and on tribute Facebook groups.

Travel back in time through Manchester in the ‘90s with these 30 photos

Fashion shows, bombings, Maine Road, buses, cars, the Metrolink and the Hacienda…

Here’s 30 nostalgic photographs of what Manchester looked like in the 1990s.

The city centre has changed a lot over the decades, which probably comes as no surprise with the amount of construction going on – it’s changing by the day.

But as the years go by and buildings you once knew are torn down and replaced with new apartments or office blocks, it’s left to your grainy memory of how places used to look and the times you may have once had there.

The nineties was a great era for music in Manchester and saw the birth of bands including Oasis, The Doves and Take That. It was the decade of hope after the recession of the 1980s, but there were ups and downs also.

On April 1st 1990 prisoners in Strangeways (now HMP Manchester) took control of its chapel, and quickly spread throughout most of the prison to begin a riot which lasted 25 days.

Hundreds of inmates got up onto the roof, with the incident claiming the life of one prisoner and injuring 147 prison officers and 47 prisoners. 

The riot was followed by similar disturbances at other prisons across the country and sparked a conversation about reform for prison conditions.

The decade was also blighted by the IRA bomb of 1996. The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a 1,500-kilogram lorry bomb on Corporation Street on June 15th.  

It was the biggest bomb detonated in Great Britain since the Second World War, injuring 212 innocent people and causing £700 million worth of damage to the city centre.

The event kick-started the regeneration and modernisation of the city which has evolved into the Manchester we know and love today.

The city already began planning on improvements as part of its campaign to hold the 2000 Olympics and Paralympics. However, the bid was ultimately unsuccessful and Manchester was beaten to it by Sydney, with Beijing coming in as runner-up.

But Manchester did go on to hold the 2002 Commonwealth Games, with The Commonwealth Games Stadium becoming the new home of Manchester City after the club vacated Maine Road – which was then demolished and turned into new homes.

The Hacienda, which opened in 1982, became the nightclub at the forefront of the acid house scene. The club was owned by record label Factory Records and was famous for playing a major part in the Madchester movement.

Unfortunately, the club gained a reputation for drug use and after enjoying its heyday throughout the best part of the ‘90s, it fell victim to crime issues and financial troubles which eventually led to its closure in 1997.

The club was subsequently demolished and replaced by apartments.

The newly built Trafford Centre opened in 1998, the year after the film Titanic was released, which its themed food court paid homage to. Since then, Trafford Park has transformed from the derelict marshlands it once was and into a centre of retail, leisure and entertainment.

Manchester United were the most successful football team of the city during this era, and the club won numerous domestic and international titles under manager Alex Ferguson.

David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes were just some of the players who played for United during the club’s golden era – playing in the newly formed Premier League, which was founded in 1992.

For the first time in English football history the Reds secured the Treble in 1999 – the League, FA Cup and Champions League.

Meanwhile, the Blue side of Manchester – Man City – went through many ups and downs. In 1998 City were relegated to the third tier of the English Football League. The club regained promotion to the top tier in 2001-02 and have remain in the Premier League since.

Manchester was once home to the iconic Strangeways Boddingtons Brewery, which owned pubs throughout the North West. 

The brand was best known for its ‘Boddies’ – a straw-golden, hoppy bitter which was one of the first beers to be packaged in cans containing a widget, giving it a creamy draught-style head.

In the 1990s, the beer was promoted as The Cream of Manchester in a popular advertising campaign credited with raising Manchester’s profile. Model and actress Melanie Sykes was the Boddington’s girl star of the ads, which saw her take a swig of a pint and say ‘by ‘eck’, with a creamy moustache.

The brewery shut down in February 2005 and its workers clocked off their final ever shift, never to return, following its 227-year history.

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Granada Studios

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

• Deansgate-Castlefield • 7 min walk
• St Peter's Square • 10 min walk

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travelers

Granada Studios - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• (0.05 mi) Great John Street Hotel
• (0.09 mi) Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel
• (0.14 mi) Premier Inn Manchester City Centre West Hotel
• (0.17 mi) The Castlefield Hotel
• (0.21 mi) Moxy Manchester City
• (0.09 mi) Tattu
• (0.07 mi) Fenix Manchester
• (0.04 mi) Great John Street Hotel
• (0.10 mi) itsu
• (0.11 mi) Everyman Manchester St Johns

By Natasha Kitcher on 28 April 2021

A history of granada studios.

On 3 May 1956, the first broadcast was transmitted from Granada Studios in Manchester. Despite the glamorous-sounding name, these studios had nothing to do with sunny Spain. Instead, they emerged from the rubble of a bombed-out part of the city in the shadow of the Second World War. Granada had been a southern cinema chain since the 1930s, with a name chosen to sound remote, exotic and escapist, just as theatres in the area did at the time. Allegedly, the name also came from a pleasant holiday Cecil Bernstein had shortly before forming the company.

Cecil, along with his brother Sidney, decided to branch out into television production in the 1950s. They created Granada Television, a regional television network broadcasting to audiences in the North-West and Yorkshire. The idea came to the brothers in at least 1954, when they made a bid to license the company, and 18 months later Granada Studios in Quay Street, Manchester, was ready to be the new home to the young television franchise. Granada Studios predated BBC’s Television Centre by four years, making them the first purpose-built television studios in the UK.

Granada was formed with a strong Northern identity, prioritising voices and stories from the area. Sidney Bernstein saw his network as a rival to the BBC, but not a stopgap to reach London; as part of his commitment to the North he refused to hire anyone that would not live or travel into Manchester. In the 50s Bernstein reported “I think that what Manchester sees today, London will see eventually”, further emphasising his focus on the North as his target audience.

Granada’s home in Quay Street was an iconic part of the Manchester skyline for many years, housing the red glowing Granada sign which today lives in the Science and Industry Museum ’s collection. The sign was torn down in 2010 when a health and safety inspection revealed various hazards. By the time the Granada sign was pulled down, the name itself was already a relic. In 2002 several television franchises merged to form ITV Granada; however, by 2009#, all Granada branding was removed from content production, unifying television shows under one name: ITV.

Whether it was Granada or ITV, the Northern-based television network told stories that represented the culture of the North. One of its flagship programmes was and is, of course, Coronation Street . The iconic soap opera got off to a rocky start: Sidney Bernstein had not wanted the show to go ahead, and early reviews suggested he was right to be sceptical, with the Daily Mirror reporting on 10 December 1960 (one day after the first broadcast) that the show was “doomed from the outset”.

Naysayers be damned; the show has since gone from strength to strength. One year after Coronation Street started, Granada was broadcasting to three million homes in the Northern region. Studio tours including the Coronation Street set started in 1988 and ran until the soap started producing five episodes a week. At this point, the tours stopped since the set was needed more often to keep up with demand.

A number of Coronation Street images are available in the National Science and Media Museum’s collection, including Elsie Tanner’s wedding from 1967, a Christmas promotion that ran in the early 1960s, and my personal favourite—Alfred Hitchcock at the doors of the Rovers Return. The Hollywood film director did not direct an episode of Corrie, as much as I wish he did, but was instead snapped during a visit to the studios to meet his friend, Sidney Bernstein. Bernstein and Hitchcock had worked together on the films Rope and Under Capricorn in the 1940s.

In its heyday, Granada was home to more than just soaps. It also broadcast some theatrical performances which paved the way for inclusive storytelling. In our collection we have a still of ballet being performed for the screen, bringing art to the masses. This determination to bring high quality artistic works to the public explains some of the groundbreaking programming at Granada, including their broadcasting of the first interracial kiss on British TV in 1962, which happened during its Play of the Week .

Granada was also responsible for some groundbreaking documentaries, including a favourite of mine, Seven Up! , which told the story of 14 children from 1964, and recently ended with a three-episode run of 63 Up which told us where the subjects were in 2019. The documentary was one of the first ‘reality TV’ programmes of its time and told the story of people from all walks of life, revisiting them every seven years.

Many of the flagship Granada Television shows have been around since the early days, with Coronation Street starting in 1960, University Challenge first broadcasting in 1962, and Seven Up! starting in 1964. Granada was even responsible for the first live football match broadcast on independent television, beaming the European cup semi-final of 1957 to the homes of its new customers.

Television programmes started by the Granada brand live on today, as does the spirit of the company, even if the name now lights up our museum store rather than the Manchester skyline. Granada Studios was formed to tell Northern stories to Northern people, and it did just that.

3 comments on “ A history of Granada Studios ”

A very interesting article by my very talented niece.

Great article. Granada was also the first ITV company to broadcast in the Welsh language! It began producing ‘Dewch i Mewn’ in September 1957 in ‘Granadaland’ which extended to Ynys Môn/Anglesey. The programme was later taken by TWW when it started broadcasting to south Wales and the west of England from January 1958 onwards. the only programming permitted to be broadcast outside of the government-prescribed fifty hours of broadcasting was Welsh-language programmes. By transmitting ‘Dewch i Mewn’ two to three times a week, Granada succeeded in increasing its air time. The company could ‘bank’ the minutes devoted to advertisements during the transmission of the ‘Welsh Programme’ – as it was known in Granada – and add them to peak-time viewing due to the fact that Dewch i Mewn fell outside the standard hours. The commercial benefits for the company were obvious – increased advertising revenue as a result of extra advertising time during the premium-rate peak hours. The second explanation is also advertising-related. The ITA had allowed television companies to charge more for advertisements within ‘foreign-language’ programmes. In Sidney Bernstein’s eyes, Welsh was a foreign language for a Manchester-based television company and so it was a shrewd business move as opposed to any cultural sympathy which led to the launch of ‘Dewch i Mewn’.

Is it possible to see granadas first night or parts of it

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Granada studios tour.

For those who never made it to Granada's superb studios tour, this 4 minute home movie shows a little of what it was like and behind the scenes glimpses from the 1 hour tour visitors were taken on. The amusement park complex opened in the backlot of Granada's Castlefield site in 1988 and closed in 1999. Highlights included being able to walk down the set of Coronation Street, and street entertainment on the New York replica street.

Articles | Long Reads | News

Aliens, Corrie & Haunted Costumes: What happened to Granada Studios Tour?

Manchester's answer to Universal Studios in LA - but a little bit err... not as good.

By Ben Brown | 19 January 2021

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Growing up, teachers only really ever seemed to have the choice of 3 places to go on a school trip at the end of the year. I suspect this was either due to a lack of funds, lack of imagination or just a sheer lack of places in the region to go to entertain 35 kids for a full 9 hours.

One such trip was Alton Towers, which quickly came crashing down around us when I told a few girls that the meeting time had been changed to an hour later – meaning everyone kicked off and I got into some serious trouble.

Another was Camelot, which was a bit of a dump to be honest, and nowhere near as cool or as exciting as heading to Alton Towers and losing your shit on Nemesis.

The third? Drum roll please – the Granada Studios Tour . Wooooo!

The Granada Studios Tour was the result of reaching deep into someone’s brain, dragging out a load of mad ideas and then throwing a ton of money at it. And surprisingly – it all seemed to work. For a bit anyway.

The person’s brain was Granada producer David Plowright , a man who became Controller of Programmes from 1969 to 1979, and through his connections (his sister) he managed to get Laurence Olivier to appear in several Granada drama programmes, most noticeably the brilliant Brideshead Revisited in 1981.

He was interested in developing the derelict and un-used land around the Granada Studios complex, so he proposed to create a ‘ Hollywood-on-the-Irwell ‘, bringing in crowds of people who were eager to see behind-the-scenes of some of television’s biggest shows.

The Times Square Entrance // Credit: trainsandstuff

After gaining the support of the big wigs of Granada, the project was green lit and funded, with some serious cash going into the renovation of the derelict warehouses on the site, and the results were very impressive indeed.

Granada Studios Tour first opened its doors in July 1988 and estimated visitor figures for the first year stood at around 250,000 people. Well, they absolutely smashed that with over 600,000 in the first 8 months alone. Manchester now had a brand-new attraction that was pulling in crowds from all over the UK. Good one Dave.

As a kid I went a few times to Granada Studios, and I have even been lucky enough to visit the site in recent years – and here’s what I remember from it all…

When you first went through the gates you were greeted with a ‘re-production’ of Times Square which was home to a few American cars, most noticeably some police cars, yellow taxis and at one point I definitely remember a small ice skating rink in the middle of this square too. To the left of you as you entered was and old cinema/theatre, and to the right was the entrance to the ‘Tour’.

The ‘fake’ Rovers Return where you could buy a pint

A short walk up from the square was a recreation of one of the most famous boozers in history, Corrie’s Rovers Return , where you could nip in for a pint of Snakebite before you went on the tour.

The tour itself was rather exciting – especially for a kid. You got to walk through the backlot of many of Granada’s biggest shows, catching a glimpse of Matthew Kelly in his waistcoat presenting Stars in their Eyes , and even walking down a full-scale replica of a Victorian Baker Street, used extensively for the Sherlock Holmes TV series.

Oooohhh Corrie!

There was also one bit where they took you into the Costume Department and told you that it was haunted. Whilst telling you this, they had set up a series of mirrors so that some poor aspiring actor could loiter in the distance, all dolled up to look like a frightening old woman, and scare the shit out of everyone.

In the final stages of the tour, you’d all be squashed up in a little room, which then opened up to reveal a HUGE living room, complete with massive furniture and a big cat, all from the show ‘Return of the Antelope’.

The ‘real’ Rovers on the tour.

Finally, the cherry on top was the chance to walk down the most famous street in the UK – Coronation Street . It was the actual street that they used for externals in the show, and although there was nothing in the houses, you could open up the letter box and shout “Veeerrraaa!” at the top of your voice – much to the delight of everyone around you.

That’s pretty much all that I remember from the whole thing. I’m sure there’s loads that I didn’t get to see or memories that have been destroyed through years of heavy boozing. Although actually, one of my most favourite memories was in the old cinema bit away from the tour, where they’d set up an innovative new ride.

The innovative ‘4D’ cinema

As part of the initial refurbishments to the site, David Plowright demanded the renovation of the old Bonded Warehouse opposite the main Granada Studios. For 3 million quid he had it transformed into an old 1930’s cinema, complete with golden staircases and massive curtained screen. When I went, they’d installed an amazing simulation ride in there based on the hit movie Aliens .

You’d sit down on your (seemingly) normal looking cinema seat and the show would start. However, as stuff happened on screen, the seat would move and jolt and generally throw you all around the place while Ripley was kicking the shit out of some alien on screen. It was seriously brilliant, and I still think about it to this day when I watch the film.

ITV Digital (previously OnDigital) was a massive failure

You’re probably thinking “ What happened to it all then? ” and thus comes the decline of Granada Studios Tour and eventual closure. After a decade at the top, with visitor numbers quickly dwindling, the tour was seen as a loss-making enterprise and closed for good.

One of the main reasons for the closure was down to the rather unfortunate business practices at ITV, many of which managed to lose the company millions of pounds in revenue really bloody quickly.

The main culprit was something called OnDigital , which older readers will probably remember as a rubbish new digital channel that launched in 1998.

The site after closure

The idea was pretty simple, but executed really rather badly. It was essentially a pay-TV service for ITV, meaning that instead of getting telly free through your normal TV aerial, you had to pay for a box and a monthly subscription fee to watch shows.

It sounds a lot like SKY really, and that’s because it was pretty much exactly the same, except without anything bloody on it. The exclusive shows were shite, and a deal made with the Football League to show footy matches on it ultimately ended up costing the company dearly – forcing it to enter into administration in 2002.

ITV had lost millions off the back of OnDigital’s demise, and so Granada Studios Tour was seen as an unnecessary expense and closed down. For years later, the site remained empty and unused again, apart from the old cinema, which I was lucky enough to have a walk around during a stint in the Costume Department of Corrie back in 2007.

Everything was still in place, and it was just how I remembered it to be as a kid. In fact, the only thing that had changed was that the site was now being used to store all of Coronation Street’s old costumes, including Les Battersby’s old denim jacket , which I slipped on and admired when nobody was looking.

When most people think of Granada Studios Tour nowadays they instantly think of the ability to walk down Coronation Street, and it was indeed the attraction’s most popular section when it was open.

The new Coronation Street Tour

After moving to MediaCity in 2013, ITV are still offering up tours of a brand-new Coronation Street set, one that has been built to a greater scale than the original Granada one, as well as adding additional internal details to allow for greater mobility and shots when filming.

2018 also saw a brand-new extension with the addition of a Victoria Street set, which features a garden and a memorial bench paying tribute to the Manchester Arena bombing 22 victims , including Coronation Street super fan Martyn Hett.

Victoria Street

I’ve not been on the tour itself, but it looks great and I’m sure once this pandemic is out of the way, people will go flocking back to it. In the meantime, though, let’s just sit down and remember the old Granada Studios Tour for what it was.

Sure, it wasn’t as flash or impressive as the studios you’d find in LA – but it was ours and it was pure Mancunian through and through.

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Granada Studios Tour

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Visitors explore the set at some point between 1988 and the summer of 1989 when the Community Centre and Baldwin's Casuals 's facades, seen on the left of the picture, were demolished as part of the programme's storylines

The Granada Studios tour was open from 1988 to 1999 . Ena Sharples ' double-breasted coat was the main exhibit in the costume museum section of the tour. Doris Speed made a public appearance opening the Coronation Street set to the public as part of the Tour in July 1988 . As well as exploring various exhibits specially erected in the Bonded Warehouse adjacent to the Quay Street studios , visitors were taken down the Baker Street set used for filming The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the Rosamund Street end of the 1982 Outdoor Set which they were allowed to explore at their leisure. The set was closed on filming days, usually Mondays.

• 1 Warren Baldwin
• 2 Liam Scholes
• 3 Episode 11226/7 (29th March 2024)

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15 fascinating facts about granada studios.

Written by Rosalie Ayala

Modified & Updated: 03 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Granada Studios, located in the heart of Manchester, has a rich history and holds a special place in the hearts of television and film enthusiasts. Over the years, this iconic landmark has been home to countless beloved productions, making it a must-visit destination for any fan of British entertainment.

In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of Granada Studios and uncover 15 intriguing facts that highlight its significance in the entertainment industry. From hosting legendary TV shows to being the birthplace of iconic characters, Granada Studios has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of the United Kingdom.

So, join us as we take a journey through time and discover the secrets and stories behind this iconic landmark.

Key Takeaways:

• Granada Studios, birthplace of iconic TV shows like Coronation Street, played a pivotal role in shaping British television history, leaving behind a rich legacy of creativity and groundbreaking programming.
• The closure of Granada Studios in 2013 marked the end of an era in British television, but its impact on the local community and its enduring legacy continue to be celebrated and remembered.

The birthplace of iconic TV shows

Granada Studios holds the distinction of being the birthplace of several legendary television shows, including the beloved soap opera Coronation Street. This long-running series, first broadcast in December 1960, has captivated audiences worldwide with its compelling storylines and memorable characters.

A historic television production site

Granada Studios has a rich history as a prominent television production site. Located in Manchester, England, it became the main production base for Granada Television, which later merged with Carlton Communications to form ITV Granada. The studios were instrumental in shaping British television, producing a wide range of popular programs.

The iconic Coronation Street set

One of the standout features of Granada Studios is the iconic set of Coronation Street, which has become an integral part of British television history. This exterior set, known as “Weatherfield,” has been home to the iconic Rovers Return pub and countless dramatic moments over the years.

The famous cobbled street

No tour of Granada Studios would be complete without setting foot on the famous cobbled street of Coronation Street. This meticulously recreated street has become a symbol of the series and a must-visit for fans, providing a sense of nostalgia and an opportunity to step into the world of their favorite characters.

The Granada Studios Tour

For many years, Granada Studios offered a popular tour that allowed visitors to go behind the scenes and get a glimpse of the magic that happens in television production. From exploring the sets to learning about the intricate processes involved, the tour provided an unforgettable experience for TV enthusiasts.

The legendary Granada House

Adjacent to Granada Studios stands Granada House, a landmark building that serves as a reminder of the studios’ rich history. This architectural marvel, featuring a striking glazed exterior, serves as a testament to the legacy of Granada Television and its contribution to the world of entertainment.

The iconic Granada TV symbol

Many television enthusiasts from the UK and beyond instantly recognize the iconic Granada Television symbol, which was an integral part of the station’s branding. The symbol, featuring the letter “G” encompassed within a bold square, became synonymous with high-quality television and was a familiar sight across Granada Studios.

Host to a range of productions

Granada Studios played host to a wide range of productions throughout its tenure. From popular game shows like The Krypton Factor to groundbreaking dramas like Prime Suspect, the studios provided a versatile and creative hub for television makers across various genres.

A hub of creativity

Granada Studios was a hub of creativity, attracting talented individuals from all areas of the television industry. From writers and actors to directors and producers, it provided a nurturing environment for artistic minds to collaborate and bring captivating stories to life on screen.

The Granada TV archives

As a testament to its rich history, Granada Studios boasts an extensive archive of television content. This invaluable collection preserves iconic moments, performances, and cultural milestones, allowing future generations to delve into the extraordinary legacy of British television.

Granada Television Studios’ global reach

The productions that came out of Granada Studios reached far beyond the borders of the UK. Shows like World in Action, Granada Reports, and Jewel in the Crown captivated international audiences, solidifying the studios’ reputation as a global powerhouse in the television industry.

A backdrop for iconic moments

Granada Studios served as the backdrop for numerous iconic moments in television history. From dramatic on-screen weddings and births to explosive showdowns and gripping plot twists, the studios provided the canvas upon which unforgettable moments were brought to life.

The legacy of groundbreaking programming

Granada Studios played a pivotal role in the creation of groundbreaking programming that pushed the boundaries of television. From hard-hitting documentaries to thought-provoking dramas, the studios were at the forefront of producing content that challenged societal norms and sparked important conversations.

The impact on the local community

Granada Studios had a significant impact on the local community, providing employment opportunities and contributing to the economy of Manchester. The studios’ presence helped shape the city’s cultural landscape, becoming an integral part of its identity and a source of pride for its residents.

The end of an era

Despite its rich history, Granada Studios closed its doors to productions in 2013, marking the end of an era in British television. While the physical studios may be gone, the legacy of Granada Studios lives on through the enduring impact of its shows and the memories created within its walls.

Granada Studios is a truly fascinating destination that has left an indelible mark on the world of television and entertainment. From its humble beginnings as a small production company, it has grown into a renowned landmark that attracts visitors from around the globe. The studio’s iconic architecture, rich history, and immersive experiences make it a must-visit for any TV enthusiast or history buff. Whether you’re exploring the Coronation Street set, enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour, or discovering the magic of the Harry Potter experience, Granada Studios has something for everyone. So, why not plan a visit and immerse yourself in the captivating world of television and film?

1. When was Granada Studios established?

Granada Studios was established in 1954, making it one of the oldest television production studios in the United Kingdom.

2. Can I visit the Coronation Street set?

Yes, you can! Granada Studios offers guided tours that include a visit to the Coronation Street set, allowing you to explore the iconic street and see behind the scenes.

3. Are there any interactive experiences at Granada Studios?

Absolutely! Granada Studios offers various interactive experiences, such as the Harry Potter experience, where you can step into the magical world of the beloved franchise and even ride a broomstick.

4. How long does a typical tour of Granada Studios last?

The duration of a tour can vary depending on the package you choose. On average, a tour lasts around 1.5 to 2 hours, providing ample time to explore the different attractions and soak in the studio’s atmosphere.

5. Can I book tickets for Granada Studios online?

Yes, you can book tickets for Granada Studios online. It is advisable to book in advance, especially during peak seasons, to ensure availability.

6. Is there a gift shop at Granada Studios?

Yes, there is a gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs, memorabilia, and merchandise related to your favorite shows and experiences at Granada Studios.

7. Are there any dining options available at Granada Studios?

Yes, there are several dining options available within or near Granada Studios. From casual eateries to fine dining restaurants, you will find a variety of choices to satisfy your culinary cravings.

8. Can I take photos during the tours?

Yes, photography is allowed during the tours, except in certain restricted areas. Feel free to capture your favorite moments and share them with your friends and family.

9. Is Granada Studios accessible for individuals with disabilities?

Yes, Granada Studios is accessible for individuals with disabilities. The tours and attractions are designed to accommodate all visitors, and there are facilities available to ensure a comfortable experience for everyone.

10. Are there any age restrictions for visiting Granada Studios?

No, there are no specific age restrictions for visiting Granada Studios. However, some experiences or attractions may have age restrictions or recommendations for certain age groups. It is advisable to check the details before planning your visit.

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60 Never-Before-Seen Photos of Old Granada Studios

AS THE advance of Manchester’s new £1bn St John’s project  - incorporating thousands of new homes, a £110m arts centre, a cluster of interconnecting skyscrapers and two ‘world class hotels’ - looms large over Old Granada Studios, custodians Allied London have commissioned a new project to capture the ‘spirit, history and architecture’ of the iconic TV complex before development envelops the site.

...the project offers a fascinating, intimate and often ghostly insight into the heart, soul and belly of one of Manchester’s most important cultural sites

Combining advanced digital photography and creative ‘place-writing’, the Granadaland Gallery follows photographer Andrew Brooks and writer Hayley Flynn on an unrestricted tour around the mostly deserted former headquarters of Granada Television and later ITV.

Stumbling across abandoned dressing rooms, an underground canal and even a derelict 4D cinema (the first of its kind in Europe), the project offers a fascinating, intimate and often ghostly insight into the heart, soul and belly of one of Manchester’s most important cultural sites.

"With no one there to guide you, the confusion of the internal spaces is overwhelming," says Flynn. "Any room could be a set and a functional space at once; a staircase to get you from one floor to another is lined with mirrors to mimic a nightclub. The multi-purposing of space is fascinating.

"Our combined works aim is always the same: to highlight something hidden," she continues, "be that a space that has never been seen by the public or to uncover a story that surprises."

Built in 1954 and designed by architect Ralph Tubbs - famous for his Dome of Discovery at the 1951 Festival of Britain on South Bank - Granada Studios first began transmitting to the North West of England in 1956. It would go on to host The Beatles’ first ever televised performance and become home to some of the era's most important and influential programmes, from the world’s longest running soap opera,  Coronation Street, to pioneering investigative journalism series, World in Action.

Spearheaded by its charismatic founding father Sidney Bernstein, Granada Television became the only surviving company of the original 'Big Four' Independent Television Authority (ITA) franchises, and would later be described by the New York Times as ‘the finest television company in the world’.

READ MORE:  First look inside London Road Fire Station

In July 1988, Granada invested £25m in the Granada Studios Tour and themepark on a site directly next to the Quay Street studios. Billed as 'Europe's Biggest Film and Television Day Out', at its peak the theme park pulled in up to 4,500 visitors a day. Many remnants of the theme park, which eventually closed in 2001, can still be see dotted around the site today (see below).

"Our aim is to open the doors to the studios the public may never have seen," explains Katie Popperwell, Director of Culture at St John’s, "to celebrate the achievements and moments that happened here and to ensure its legacy lives on beyond bricks and mortar.”

ITV finally relocated from Granada Studios to MediaCityUK in 2013, paving the way for Allied London to snap up the thirteen acre site (for £26.5m in a joint venture partnership with Manchester City Council), with plans to begin work on the ambitious St John's masterplan sometime next year.

You can see the Granadaland Gallery in full and read the accompanying field notes at  granadalandgallery.com

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Behind the scenes of the lost Coronation Street sets

The longest running Coronation Street set was based at Granada Studios for over 30 years

• 07:48, 9 JUL 2023

Images from our archives show classic Coronation Street scenes being filmed on set in Manchester.

They offer a fascinating insight into how the iconic show - and the sets on which so many memorable scenes were filmed - have changed over the years.

For decades, Coronation Street was filmed in Manchester city centre - before its production relocated and its iconic set was demolished.

And this year marks ten years since filming of the long running ITV soap moved to Media City, situated on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford .

These images were captured between the 1960s, the early era when both interior and exterior scenes were filmed in a studio, and 2013, when ITV Granada moved to the other side of the Irwell.

The cast of 'Coronation Street' on set. Jack Howarth as Albert Tatlock and William Roache as Ken Barlow. April 16, 1968

Tiny sets for filming interior shots on Coronation Street. April 16, 1968

Outside the Rovers Return, illuminated by studio lamps, with painted on cobbles, just before the new outdoor set came into use. April 16, 1968

Filming 'exterior' shots. April 16, 1968

In 1968 Granada TV built an outdoor set for shooting. May 15, 1968

The new street setting for "Coronation Street" - May 18, 1968

Behind the scenes with Jean Alexander, who played Hidla Ogden. February 1982

Granada Studios backlot in Manchester city centre, which housed the Coronation Street set from 1982 until 2013

Visit by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to the set of the famous ITV soap Coronation Street set in the fictional town of Weatherfield, July 1983

The Coronation Street set at the Granada Studios Tour. June 15, 1988

Tourists are shown around the set of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, viewing the Rovers Return Inn at Granada Studios, Manchester

Granada Studios Tour, Jim's Cafe, Coronation Street. Circa 1990

Jack and Vera Duckworth's lounge at Coronation Street as part of the Granada Studios Tour. February 9, 1995

Granada Studios Tour, the Duckworths' house, Coronation Street. Circa 1990.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Granada TV on the Coronation Street set with some of the cast. January 1990

The then Prince Charles shelters from the rain in the doorway of the Rovers Return pub on the set of the soap Coronation Street. December 2000

Following the move to Media City in 2013, the old Coronation Street set re-opened as a tourist attraction

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Audrey's Hair and Beauty Salon

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Barlow's Buys

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Prima Doner takeaway shop

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Houses for the inhabitants of Coronation Street

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. The Kabin

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Roy's Rolls cafe

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Interior showing Carla Connor's flat

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Interior set

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Inside the Rovers Return

Coronation Street set, 1982 - 2013. Interior detail of Gail Platt's house

Demolition of the old Coronation Street set at Granada Studios in 2017

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Take a guided tour of the world famous street.

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Welcome to the exhilarating world of Coronation Street, where drama, laughter, and heart-wrenching storylines have captivated audiences for over 60 years!

Coronation Street Experience offers you a chance to join Weatherfield’s finest and experience the magic of Coronation Street up close. Join our expert tour guides for a thrilling 90-minute exploration of the largest single TV production site in the world!

Get your cameras ready as we take you behind-the-scenes. And… Action!

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Coronation Street Experience: Guided Tour

Step into the captivating world of Coronation Street like never before. Immerse yourself in an extraordinary pre-show cinema experience, embark on an unforgettable 90-minute tour around the authentic exterior set, and venture inside meticulously crafted replica sets of Roy’s Rolls and the iconic Rovers Return in our brand new Coronation Street Exhibition.

Call last orders in the replica Rovers Return and ring the actual bell!

For the first time ever sit down and take a photo in our Roy's Rolls replica set!

Check out Webster’s Autocentre, the Kabin, and more exterior sets.

Explore 60 years of Coronation Street history as you see iconic props and costumes.

Coronation Street Experience: Exhibition

Step into a world of nostalgia and immerse yourself in the rich history of Coronation Street at our all-new permanent exhibition. Building on the success of the Coronation Street Tour, this exciting addition allows fans to continue their journey down memory lane. Here, you’ll discover a treasure trove of new replica sets, props, and costumes that bring Coronation Street to life.

Would highly recommend the tour with its new additions including the precinct, police station, exhibition of artefacts and replicas of the interior of the Rovers Return and Roy’s Rolls.

Our guide Sid was excellent – amusing and very informative. All the staff we came across were enthusiastic and friendly.

We had a lovely time, our guide Daniel was brilliant, very informative about the show past and present. We loved our time there had plenty of opportunities for photos, I enjoyed the exhibition at the end seeing all the outfits from characters and the rovers and Roy’s rolls set up. Fantastic would highly recommend.

The Coronation Street tour is great for fans of the show. You get to walk along the famous cobbles and see the outside sets. We chose to go on a star tour and met Andy Whyment who plays Kirk. It was good to see some peices from the set too. Our tour guide Callum was very knowledgeable and made our tour enjoyable. We would definitely recommend this tour.

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Granada Studios Tour facts for kids

Granada Studios Tour was an entertainment theme park at the Granada Studios complex in Castlefield , Manchester, England which operated from 1988 to 1999. The park was located in the heart of Manchester city centre adjacent to the Granada House building.

The tour attracted over 5 million visitors, but visitor numbers were waning by the late 1990s and Granada television had to prioritise other parts of its business such as the failing ONdigital (ITV Digital) service. As a result, the Granada Studios Tour closed to the general public in 1999 and for good in 2001. The Coronation Street set – part of the original theme park – was temporarily re-opened to the public in April 2014 for a six-month period, and its popularity meant it stayed open until December 2015.

The park was the brainchild of Granada producer David Plowright, who had long been interested in developing the land around the Granada Studios complex in Manchester. Much of the land that Granada owned was derelict and underused.

Plowright's aim was to create a 'Hollywood-on-the-Irwell', a reference to the River Irwell which runs through Manchester. The Granada Group hierarchy which was the parent of Granada Manchester were pessimistic about Plowright's plans.

Fortunately for Plowright, he gained the support of the Granada Television hierarchy, such as John Williams and commercial director Chris Mather.

A key part of the tour would be for visitors to walk down Coronation Street, but the Tour would also include the former bonded warehouse adjacent to the main Granada House building. Plowright ordered the renovation of the Victorian warehouse for the Studio Tour at a cost of £3m.

The Granada Studios Tour opened in July 1988 and quickly surpassed all expectations. A feasibility study prior to its opening estimated first year visitor figures of 250,000 to 275,000, but within 8 months the Tour had 600,000 visitors.

The exterior of the complex was a New York street setting replicating Times Square , complete with yellow cabs , large neon advertisements and entertainers role-playing police officers. This area was the site of the first exterior set of Coronation Street , used from 1968 until 1982 (chosen for the Victorian viaduct which lay behind the New York facade).

The guided tour itself, which lasted around an hour, comprised various mock sets from Granada productions including a recreation of Downing Street , the Sherlock Holmes -era Baker Street backlot set from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, and the giant room from Return of the Antelope , where furniture was designed on a much larger scale to create the illusion of small humans. The lounge of 'Home Farm' from Emmerdale , and the café from Coronation Street were also mocked up for the tour.

In the early days of the Tours, a bus took visitors through a mockup of Checkpoint Charlie , and then down Baker Street towards Coronation Street, where they disembarked. This feature was later discarded, and the Baker Street set had a warehouse-style building erected around the outdoor set, creating an indoor street.

The focal point of the tour was the opportunity to walk down the actual cobbled street used in Coronation Street since 1982. The tour was closed on Mondays, as this was the day that the set was used for filming at the time.

Live action shows were performed at intervals throughout each day, including a parody of a political debate in the House of Commons chamber set used for First Among Equals . This set was often used by other television productions wanting to set scenes in the Commons chamber, such as The New Statesman , and in 2002 was purchased by the scriptwriter Paul Abbott so that it could be used in his BBC drama serial State of Play . Abbott, himself a former Granada Television staff writer, bought it personally as the set would otherwise have been destroyed and he feared it would take too long to get the necessary money from the BBC. Abbott kept the set in storage in Oxford .

Visitors could also enjoy a drink in a replica of the Rovers Return, the pub in Coronation Street . In the adjacent cafeteria, a mockup of the bar from Emmerdale' s Woolpack was also included.

Other attractions included the opportunity to appear in a special Coronation Street scene in the Rovers Return with the main characters, using the chroma key process. Also, a ride named MotionMaster was developed whereby people could watch a short adventure film while being strapped into chairs which moved in synchronisation with the action on the large screen. One such film was based upon the film Aliens , when the squad entered the base in a transporter. Latterly, other rides such as a single-person monorail called a "Solocoaster", and other fairground-style rides were installed, including a 3D film show. Granada Studios Tour had also featured the shop featured in Sooty & Co. . One of the country's most famous Wurlitzer organs made regular concert appearances in an "old-style" venue, but following the closure, was sold to Folly Farm in Tenby.

Bill Bryson visited the Tours and talked about it in his book Notes from a Small Island . He praises highly the House of Commons show.

As the 1990s drew to a close, the theme park gradually fell into neglect and disrepair, and visitor numbers fell. Granada was going through a period of unprecedented change, and many of the company's divisions were sold off in the wake of OnDigital's collapse. The tour complex was seen as a loss-making enterprise and plans were made to close it, unbeknownst to the public at large, who always saw the Coronation Street visit as the most important part of the whole complex.

The formation of 3sixtymedia, a joint venture facilities company based primarily at Granada's Quay Street studios and co-owned by BBC Resources and Granada, spelled the final end for the Tours, as the company moved into the bonded warehouse on the site, and started using some of the other buildings (such as the Starlight Theatre) for additional studio and warehousing space.

For a short while before its final, abrupt closure, the complex was open only to pre-booked parties, such as corporate events, fan club visits, and Manchester Mardi Gras' "Treat on the Street", a themed night time event during the August Bank Holiday weekend.

In 2000, one year after its closure, parts of the tour were demolished allowing Granada the opportunity to expand the set of Coronation Street . Work included a new viaduct (to allow filming on Rosamund Street without exposing the Quay Street Studios which run adjacent to the rear of the set), Roy's Rolls café, the renovation of the derelict Graffiti Club into a new medical centre, a new building yard, two shops joining the café and a few new houses. After the closure of the tour, the exterior set was seen more often in the soap.

The former Baker Street building was turned into a new studio for Coronation Street , named Stage Two, containing more studio sets.

In 2008, a rumour was circulated that ITV were considering reopening the tour as well as licensing real 'Rovers Return' pubs. These reports came to nothing, as it would have involved a considerable amount of site reorganisation, at a time when Granada were discussing a move to a smaller location in Trafford Park.

In March 2009, it was announced Coronation Street would stay on the Quay Street site "for the foreseeable future". Also, Granada's studios had become the home of shows displaced by the reorganisation of the Yorkshire Television studios in Leeds , including Channel 4 's Countdown . However, following a change of hands at ITV management, talks between ITV and The Peel Group for the move to Trafford Park site reopened in January 2010 leading to a deal which was finally announced in December 2010, under which Granada Television would vacate the Quay Street complex by 2013, and the area be sold off.

In 2012, it was reported that an application for heritage listing had been made to English Heritage on the premise that the site was important to the cultural history of the North West and nationally. The application included the Coronation Street set and Granada House building where the majority of Granada programmes have been produced since 1962. However, in June 2012, English Heritage announced that the request for Listed status had been rejected.

The Coronation Street set was reopened to the public from 2014 to 2015.

In August 2015, developers Allied London submitted a planning application for "demolition of existing buildings and structures including Stage 1, Coronation Street set and Lot, The Stables and Stage 2 Extension", intending to begin building work in autumn 2016. Consent was granted for the South Village project – a new neighbourhood of workshops, "innovative workspace", independent shops, 60 apartments and green space.

As of January 2020 [update] , the replacement outdoor set for Coronation Street at MediaCityUK is open to the public.

• This page was last modified on 18 December 2023, at 13:05. Suggest an edit .

Granada Studios

Granada Studios is a television studio complex and events venue on Quay Street in Manchester , England, with the facility to broadcast live and recorded television programmes. The studios were the headquarters of Granada Television from 1956 to 2013. After a period of closure, five of the six studio spaces reopened in 2018. [4] The studios are the oldest operating purpose-built television studios in the United Kingdom pre-dating BBC Television Centre by five years. [5]

Architecture

Post-closure, reopening as all studios / enterprise city / old granada studios.

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Drama studios, granada backlot – coronation street set, external links.

They were previously home to the world's longest-running serial drama, Coronation Street , as well as other long-running shows such as the quiz show University Challenge and the current affairs documentary series World in Action . As well as being the oldest television studios in the United Kingdom, the studios also held the Beatles ' first television performance in 1962 and the first general election debate in 2010. [6]

Until 2010, the main building, Granada House, had a red neon "Granada TV" sign on the roof, which was a landmark for rail passengers travelling from the west into Manchester city centre . [7] A broadcasting tower was erected at the behest of Sidney Bernstein to give the studios an embellished and professional appearance. The three largest studios each covered over 4,500 square feet (420   m 2 ) .

The studios were managed by ITV Studios and BBC Resources through a joint venture company, 3SixtyMedia from 2000 until 2013. After a dip in production during the early 2000s, [8] the studios underwent a revival from 2009 until their closure. Countdown moved to Manchester from the Leeds Studios in 2009 and the facility had numerous new commissions including The Chase , Divided , Take Me Out and High Stakes .

The studios closed in 2013, and ITV Granada and ITV Studios moved to Dock10 's studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays . Later that same year, the Granada Studios was sold for £26 million to Allied London and Manchester City Council. [9] Allied London's initial plans for the site involved transforming the studios into residential space. However, plans were changed in 2017 to maintain the studio complex due to demand, and most studio spaces were reopened in 2018. [10] Although there were calls to preserve the old Coronation Street exterior set, it was demolished as part of redevelopment work in 2017. [11] [12] Other areas knocked down were Studio 4 and the remaining Granada Studios Tour entrance. The studios' former office block, Granada House is being converted into a hotel and office space. [13] [14] [15]

After Granada secured the contract for broadcasting to the north of England on weekdays, the company built a television studio complex while BBC Manchester and ABC (originally Granada's weekend counterpart) respectively converted a former church/film studio and a cinema in the city for television use. The transition for the other broadcasters was that new areas were required for transmission facilities. Granada bypassed these problems by creating entirely new studios.

Sidney Bernstein chose its base for northern operations from Leeds , Liverpool [16] and Manchester. [17] Granada executive, Victor Peers, believed Manchester was the preferred choice even before Granada executives, Peers, Denis Forman , Reg Hammans and Sidney Bernstein, toured possible locations. [17] [18] One site was identified by Hammans in Leeds and three were found in Manchester which convinced Bernstein to explore further. [18] Two sites were deemed expensive, and another in Salford Quays was rejected by Bernstein as inadequate. [19] A site on Quay Street in Manchester city centre owned by Manchester City Council was bought for £82,000. [17] Part of the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal , which linked the River Irwell to the Rochdale Canal from 1839 to 1922, ran in tunnel underneath the site.

The studios were designed by Ralph Tubbs , but Sidney Bernstein was instrumental in influencing designs and giving regular plan briefings. [20] Bernstein was believed to have some architectural knowledge despite no experience or formal training, [20] and was referred to as a "genial tyrant" by Granada producer Jeremy Isaacs for his influence in many decisions at Granada. [21] In his memoirs, Forman wrote: "Anyone who witnessed Sidney at work in one of these sessions had to acknowledge his practical genius as an architect" as Bernstein lectured and demonstrated his plans for the studios to colleagues. [19] Forman wrote that Tubbs looked "sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes disconsolate" [19] during Bernstein's lecture briefings.

The logo which adorned the building was in a period font and remained in position from 1961 until 2010. Bernstein, keen to save money, had the studios built in a modular, sequential cycle   – so new facilities were not built unless there was demand. This led to a jumbled appearance as the company expanded and renovated the site which encompassed a bonded warehouse built in the Victorian era .

The original studios were in a two-storey building on Quay Street. Bernstein stipulated in 1956 the company needed the bare minimum of studio space and was unwilling to invest in facilities that would rarely be used. [22] This was the reason construction took from 1954 to 1962 and the "save money at all costs" mantra was reflective of Bernstein's business plan. Facilities expanded and a tower block was built next and studios expanded over time. From time to time, as extra production, rehearsal or office space was temporarily required, various adjacent buildings were annexed. These included warehouses on the opposite side of Water Street, the buildings between Quay Street and New Quay Street and the old school premises directly opposite the tower block.

In 2000, the Granada Studios were taken over by 3SixtyMedia , a joint venture between Granada Television and BBC Manchester . Granada produced many programmes for the BBC such as University Challenge , The Royle Family and What The Papers Say [23] and the link allowed the BBC use of the three large studios compared with one at New Broadcasting House . Production on programmes normally filmed at Studio A (which was subsequently mothballed but later reused to high demand) transferred to Granada Studios such as A Question of Sport . [24]

In 2002, the studio's reception area was moved from the eastern end of the tower block off Atherton Street, to the western end inside the compound so visitors passed through a secure area before accessing the non-public reception. The old reception area became unused. Granada unveiled plans to move into the bonded warehouse adjacent to Granada House in 2003. [26] One of the four studios would be decommissioned as part of the move. [26] This plan was postponed as plans for the BBC to move production to Manchester emerged.

Asbestos was found at the studios in October 2002, but not removed until spring 2006 costing thousands of pounds. [27] The renovation meant programmes such as Mastermind and An Audience with Coronation Street were moved to The Leeds Studios and The London Studios respectively. [27] In 2006, the 21 acre studio facility employed approximately 1,200 people. [26]

After the BBC selected MediaCityUK as its new operating base in Greater Manchester, Granada progressed its £18m move to the bonded warehouse. [28] About 800 office employees moved to the renovated warehouse, leaving 400 employees in the Granada building which houses three studios. [29] [ citation needed ]

The iconic "Granada TV" sign on Manchester skyline, remained in place on the roof and sides of the buildings until September 2010 despite rebranding and the merger between Granada and Carlton. A safety check revealed the signs, that had been in place since the 1950s, were severely corroded and unsafe. They were removed from the penthouse suite in October 2010. Other signs remain on the side of the tower and on either side of the small building on Quay Street. A large ITV logo by the entrance had been placed next to the gate until 2016, when it was removed and replaced with a sign reading 'Old Granada Studios'.

Despite its iconic status, Granada House has been described as a "1960s nightmare" by staff. [30]

The merger between Granada plc and Carlton Communications to form ITV plc created speculation that the Quay Street complex would be sold. In 2004, a plan emerged for the production centre to be sold for development and the regional news centre and staff moved into the bonded warehouse in the complex. Production would move to Yorkshire Television 's Leeds Studios , and other centres including independent facilities.

A 2003 article in The Daily Telegraph estimated the plot of land on which the Granada House building stands could sell for £15m, [31] a speculative figure considering the economic situation in 2011.

The company negotiated with Peel Holdings with a view to relocating to Trafford Wharf, next to the Imperial War Museum North and the MediaCityUK development. The proposal meant the outdoor Coronation Street set would need to be relocated, and plans to create a media hub at Quay Street abandoned. The discussions continued for many years but in March 2009, Granada reported that due to the poor financial climate, it would remain at Quay Street "for the foreseeable future". Talks resumed in January 2010 after a change of management at ITV plc and Granada announced on 16 December 2010 that it would move production and ancillary staff to the Orange Building in the MediaCityUK complex to produce Granada Reports and production of Coronation Street would take place at a facility across the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford Park on Trafford Wharf. The new facility, which opened in early 2014, has two large studios with production units, set storage, dressing rooms, space for interior sets and a new outdoor set.

The studios initially closed in June 2013, and ITV Granada and ITV Studios moved to Dock10 , MediaCityUK in Salford Quays and Trafford Quays. Later that same year, the site was sold for £26 million to Allied London and Manchester City Council. [9]

In 2012, a planning application was made to list some parts of the studios. This included the Coronation Street building and the Granada House building. The plan was however rejected. [32] The bonded warehouse to the west of the studio complex is already listed.

A set of The Crystal Maze Live Experience opened in the former Stage 2, previously used by Coronation Street , in April 2017.

Four of the studios on site were reopened by Allied London , [33] [10] under the name of All Studios in 2018. [34] The site is also advertised under the name of Old Granada Studios . The four studios which are part of the main complex, Studios 2, 6, 8 & 12, are due to be retained, [35] with the former Studio 4 (by then part of the building's reception area) having been demolished as of January 2019. Work started on removing the old equipment from the galleries in February 2018 to install new production facilities.

It incorporates part of the Enterprise City project, [36] which also includes co-working facilities, a cinema ( Everyman Manchester St. John's ) [37] [38] and a Soho House hotel. [39]

The site has been used to film Dragons' Den since 2018, using flyaway equipment in the galleries [40] and also some scenes for Peaky Blinders . The studio space also hosts events and has hosted concerts. [41]

The Granada Studios Tour operated from 1989 to 1999 and gave the public the opportunity to visit the Coronation Street set and explore other Granada productions. Although such theme parks based on television and film had been successful in the United States, the idea of such a scheme was unprecedented for a British television company. John Williams, head of studio operations at Granada, promoted the project to provide a new revenue stream for Granada, [42] the only television company to embark on such a venture. The park featured a replica of No. 10 Downing Street , and visitors were shown how television is produced, had the opportunity to present a weather forecast and learned about special effects. [ citation needed ] The main feature of the tour was the set of Coronation Street , which allowed visitors access to the street. [ citation needed ]

One film based attraction was Motion Master. This started visitors off seated in a 1930 style cinema showing a very short black and white film. You then walked into a modern cinema which put you into a space ship chasing an opponent. The seats moved in synchronisation with the film, tilting and rising/falling as the ship flew.

In 1997, Granada built Skytrak , a "flying roller-coaster" which tilted riders forward as the ride progressed. Skytrak , an uncomfortable ride, was considered a failure and was plagued by mechanical unreliability. Nevertheless, it was the first roller-coaster of its type in the world. [43]

The tour was initially popular, attracting 5.5 million visits between 1988 and 1999, [44] but the attraction fell into disrepair as Granada concentrated on other priorities such as the launch of OnDigital ( ITV Digital ) in the late 1990s. Visitor numbers waned and the tour closed in 1999. [44] The entrance to the park remained until 2019 when it was demolished; the Granada Studios Tour sign was removed during this period.

The studio complex comprised the original building and office block accessible from Quay Street, with other studios around the complex. Granada's studios were originally all numbered evenly to falsely embellish the size of the complex and make Granada Television appear to be a large broadcaster. Granada Studios main studios   – Studios 2, 6, 8 and 12   – were housed in Granada House, and it is these which have been retained as of January 2019. [45] The original studios at the Granada Studios were:

• Studio 1   – An in-vision continuity studio, used by many of the In-vision continuity announcers for junctions and the late night news from the early 1980s, mothballed in about 1998 and became a storage cupboard.
• Studio 2   – A 3,218 square feet (299.0   m 2 ) studio, formerly home to Granada Reports and the northern operations of ITV News (among the first operations to move to Dock10 , MediaCityUK , on 25 March 2013). Retained for ALL Studios .
• Studio 4   – One of the original studios created as part of the first phase TVC building, later taken out of service and then part of the reception. Demolished as part of the 2018 renovation works. The Beatles ' first TV performance was broadcast from this studio in October 1962.
• Studio 6   – A compact studio measuring 4,456 square feet (414.0   m 2 ) . It was intended to be mothballed to reduce maintenance costs in 2003, but was reprieved after programme production increased (largely due to becoming home to The Jeremy Kyle Show ). [26] Retained for ALL Studios .
• Studio 8   – A medium-sized studio measuring 5,447 square feet (506.0   m 2 ) with a capacity of 240, historically has been used for filming quiz shows such as University Challenge . Retained for ALL Studios .
• Studio 10   – Not in the studio complex, Studio 10 was at the Chelsea Palace Theatre in London and used for interviews and filming acts outside Manchester. It was sold by Granada in the 1960s [46] and demolished in 1966. [47]
• Studio 12   – A large studio measuring 7,922 square feet (736.0   m 2 ) with a capacity of 524 is used for entertainment shows. The studio hosted the First Election Debate in 2010. [48] Retained for ALL Studios .

In addition to the original studios, there are other studios located around the complex. The Breeze Garden Studio was located in the garden, south of the tower, and is 477   m 2 (5,130   sq   ft) . It was originally built and used for programmes on Granada's satellite and cable channels and was later used for press shoots and some programmes on the now defunct ITV Play channel. It is now a marketing suite for the St. John's complex. The adjacent bonded warehouse was used for many years as offices and television production facilities.

The Starlight Theatre was part of the Granada Studios Tour changed into two studios of 700   m 2 (7,500   sq   ft) and 424   m 2 (4,560   sq   ft) . It was used for drama productions and late-night ITV Play programming. It is located in the southwest corner of the site. The Blue Shed which measures 1,577   m 2 (16,970   sq   ft) is not available for public hire.

Post production facilities were located in the tower block as were green rooms and other guest facilities. The site contained the former set of Coronation Street on the south of the site, and the bonded warehouse on the south west.

Situated across Grape Street from the main studio building and adjacent to the bonded warehouse is the former Coronation Street set. This version of the set was first created in 1982, but was replaced in January 2014 by a new set at ITV's new facility in Trafford Wharf Road. It was mostly demolished to make way for outdoor filming and parking for production vehicles in early 2018.

• Media in Manchester
• Granada Television
• Granada plc
• St John's Quarter

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Coronation Street is a British television soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced street in the fictional Weatherfield, a town based on inner-city Salford, England.

ITV Granada , formerly known as Granada Television , is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend Television was its weekend counterpart. Granada's parent company Granada plc later bought several other regional ITV stations and, in 2004, merged with Carlton Communications to form ITV plc.

Granada plc was a British conglomerate best known as the parent from 1954 to 2004 of the Manchester-based Granada Television.

Granada Studios Tour was an entertainment theme park at the Granada Studios complex in Castlefield, Manchester, England which operated from 1988 to 1999. The park was in the heart of Manchester city centre adjacent to the Granada House building.

The London Studios in Lambeth, Central London was a television studio complex owned by ITV plc and originally built for London Weekend Television. The studios were located in Central London, on the South Bank next to the IBM Building and the Royal National Theatre. The building was set on 2.5 acres of land and was 24 floors high. The London Studios closed on 30 April 2018. Many ITV programmes now come from Television Centre in White City, London.

The sets of the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street have undergone four major and several less significant changes since the first broadcast in December 1960. Originally entirely indoors, in 1968 the original wooden set was moved outside, and shortly afterwards reconstructed in brick. In 1982 the set was entirely rebuilt in a new location. The current set, brought into use in 2013, is based at the ITV Trafford Wharf Studios backlot, MediaCityUK in Trafford.

Limehouse Studios was an independently owned television studio complex built in No. 10 Warehouse of the South Quay Import Dock. This was located at the eastern end of Canary Wharf in Limehouse near the Isle of Dogs in London, which opened in 1983. The building was demolished just six years later, in 1989, to make way for the Olympia & York development of Canary Wharf which now occupies the site. The opening of the studios was commemorated with a programme called Celebration which featured host Gary Wilmot and artists including Bonnie Langford.

BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man.

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St John's is a proposed £1 bn development of a 6 hectare plot within central Manchester, England. The site is being developed by Manchester Quays Ltd (MQL), a partnership between Manchester City Council and Allied London.

This is a timeline of the history of Granada Television , and of the television interests of its former owner Granada plc .

• ↑ Elen, Richard. "Granada Television" . screenonline.org.uk . Retrieved 6 July 2011 . The practical-looking building, finished finally in 1962, looks very much of its time, with rectangular lines and a lot of glass, and is still in use
• ↑ Forman. p.   54. It was during this period, when both time and money were short, that I was first to see Sidney acting in the role of architect {{ cite book }} : Missing or empty | title= ( help )
• ↑ "About - Manchester Studios" . Manchester Studios . Retrieved 10 February 2021 .
• ↑ "5 Granada Television Quay Street" . masaimedia.co.uk . 20 June 2011.
• ↑ "General Election 2010: Leaders' TV debate at Granada Studios, Manchester" . The Telegraph . 15 April 2010 . Retrieved 10 March 2021 .
• ↑ "ITV takes down famous Granada TV sign" . Digital Spy . 27 September 2010.
• ↑ "Granada moving, but only next door" . Manchester Evening News . 19 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012 . Retrieved 30 July 2011 .
• 1 2 "Granada site deal signed" . ITV News . 27 September 2013 . Retrieved 27 March 2016 .
• 1 2 Chapman, Stephen (9 March 2017). "Granada's historic studios will produce entertainment shows again" . Prolific North . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ "Plan to preserve Coronation Street's famous cobbles" . Manchester Evening News . 17 December 2010 . Retrieved 31 July 2011 .
• ↑ Butler, Katie (5 August 2015). "Plan to demolish old Coronation Street set submitted to council" . Retrieved 10 February 2021 .
• ↑ "Granada TV Building, Manchester" . February 2005. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012 . Retrieved 31 July 2011 .
• ↑ "Manchester City Council   – ITV /Quay St Regeneration Framework" (PDF) . Manchester City Council . 14 March 2012 . Retrieved 9 March 2012 .
• ↑ "Manchester Grande" . Levitt Bernstein . Retrieved 18 June 2016 .
• ↑ Forman, Denis (1997). Persona Granada . Andre Deutsch. p.   53.
• 1 2 3 "Granada's Founding Father" . teletronic.co.uk . Archived from the original on 28 July 2011 . Retrieved 27 July 2011 .
• 1 2 Forman. p.   53. {{ cite book }} : Missing or empty | title= ( help )
• 1 2 3 Forman. p.   54. {{ cite book }} : Missing or empty | title= ( help )
• 1 2 "Granada Television" . screenonline.org . Retrieved 19 October 2011 . Architect Ralph Tubbs, who had designed the Dome of Discovery for the Festival of Britain, was called in and was given a comprehensive brief during ongoing planning sessions by Sidney Bernstein, who had quite an ability as an architect.
• ↑ "Bernstein   – genial tyrant of Granada: Jeremy Isaacs recalls his former boss and founder of the Granada group, who died at 94" . The Independent . 7 February 1993 . Retrieved 11 February 2012 .
• ↑ "Television Gets A Complex" . transdiffusion.org . 28 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007 . Retrieved 18 June 2011 .
• ↑ Moyes, Jojo (2 August 2000). "BBC joins forces with Granada to make TV shows" . The Independent . Retrieved 19 October 2011 .
• ↑ "So long, New Broadcasting House" . transdiffusion.org . 3 December 2011 . Retrieved 1 February 2012 .
• ↑ Wylie, Ian (11 January 2006). "Historic move for Granada TV" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 27 June 2011 .
• 1 2 3 4 "Granada moving, but only next door" . Manchester Evening News . 19 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012 . Retrieved 11 October 2011 .
• 1 2 "TV studio asbestos clean-up" . The People . 7 May 2006 . Retrieved 6 August 2011 .
• ↑ "ITV steps up relocation plans" . The Guardian . 11 January 2006 . Retrieved 11 October 2011 .
• ↑ "Historic move for Granada TV" . Manchester Evening News . 11 January 2006 . Retrieved 11 October 2011 .
• ↑ "Granada moving, but only next door" . Manchester Evening News . 19 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012 . Retrieved 30 July 2011 . The switch would spell the end for the iconic building on Quay Street which supporters see as a symbol of the company's proud regional ethos but insiders say is a "1960s nightmare".
• ↑ "North-west business awards: 'We'll keep Granada in Manchester' " . Daily Telegraph . 8 December 2003 . Retrieved 11 October 2011 .
• ↑ " 'Coronation Street' set to become English Heritage site?" . Digital Spy . 5 February 2012 . Retrieved 5 February 2012 .
• ↑ "Old Granada Studios" . Allied London . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ "New lease of life for Old Granada Studios" . Insider Media Ltd . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ "All Venues" . Old Granada Studios . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ Bickerton, Jake (4 July 2018). "Former Granada Studios to reopen as TV and film space" . Broadcast . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ "EVERYMAN Cinema Manchester | Browse Latest Listings" .
• ↑ Jackson, Daisy (28 November 2018). "A boutique cinema where you can hire a sofa is coming to Manchester" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ Clarence-Smith, Louisa (29 October 2018). "Goodbye, hello: a new episode for Granada's famous studios" . The Times . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ Heward, Emily (13 January 2019). "Didsbury Gin's winning Dragons' Den pitch was nearly a disaster" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 6 May 2019 .
• ↑ Skinner, Tom (13 May 2020). "New Order and Pet Shop Boys postpone US co-headline tour" . NME . Retrieved 10 February 2021 .
• ↑ Whalley, Mike (27 June 2011). "Smooth operator: New Manchester City executive John Williams in profile" . Manchester Evening News . Archived from the original on 19 September 2011 . Retrieved 28 June 2011 .
• ↑ "Remembered: Granada Studios Tour" . G Force magazine . 15 October 2010. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011.
• 1 2 "Granada studio tours to end" . BBC News . 18 January 2001 . Retrieved 28 June 2011 .
• ↑ "Studios Inventory - Manchester Studios" . Manchester Studios . Retrieved 10 February 2021 .
• ↑ "Chelsea Palace Theatre" . tvstudiohistory.co.uk . Archived from the original on 17 July 2011 . Retrieved 4 July 2011 .
• ↑ "Chelsea Palace Theatre in London, GB" . cinematreasures.org . Retrieved 20 January 2019 .
• ↑ "3SixtyMedia Studios   – Technical Specification" (PDF) . the-manchester-studios.tv . Retrieved 19 October 2011 .

Bibliography

• Cox, Michael (2003). Granada Television: The First Generation . Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN   0-7190-6515-1 .
• Fitzwalter, Raymond (2008). The Dream That Died: The Rise and Fall of ITV . Matador. ISBN   978-1-906221-83-6 .
• Forman, Denis (1997). Persona Granada: Memories of Sidney Bernstein and the Early Years of Independent Television . Andre Deutsch. ISBN   978-0-233-98987-7 .
• 3Sixty Media - Owners of The Manchester Studios Archived 2014-03-31 at the Wayback Machine Website almost wholly devoted to Quay Street. [ dead link ]
• YouTube video - Granada Reports bids farewell to Quay Street
• Transdiffusion Studio One - Article on BBC Television Centre which includes some information about construction of Quay Street
• The Manchester Studios Website Archived 2014-03-31 at the Wayback Machine - Provided information about Studios
• TVARK Granada Gallery - Included info of Granada Studios tour and of studio layout.
• TV Studio History
• List of magazines in the United Kingdom
• List of magazines by circulation
• List of hospital radio stations
• Pirate radio
• List of RSL stations
• List of satellite radio stations
• List of student and schools radio
• Broadcasting House
• FM broadcasting
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• Radio Independents Group
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Harry Styles experts wanted to guide tours of star's Holmes Chapel hometown

• Harry Styles
• Holmes Chapel
• Wednesday 3 April 2024 at 10:24am

Tour guides are being hired to show fans around the village where Harry Styles grew up.

The Holmes Chapel Partnership says it is looking for people with a 'genuine interest' in the village, as well as a good knowledge of its history and Harry Styles.

A walking route was created in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, in 2023 for fans making the pilgrimage to spots including where the singer used to work.

The trail, which has been walked by 5,000 fans, was drawn up by the partnership after concerns were raised about fans "risking life and limb" to access Twemlow Viaduct - known as 'Harry's Wall'.

The wall, believed to be the site of the singer's first kiss, is covered with messages written by fans, known as 'Harries', who travelled from across the world.

The Holmes Chapel Partnership is now launching official guided tours of 'Harry's Home Village', which will start on Saturday mornings in June.

It said it's expecting 'significant demand', and is looking to add some weekday tours in July, August and September.

Where does the trail go?

The route takes fans to four landmarks around Holmes Chapel:

Hermitage Bridge

Twemlow Viaduct

Harry's old employer Mandeville's bakery

Harry's favourite restaurant Fortune City

The organisation is particularly interested in hiring Harry Styles fans who are aged 16 and over, as well as more 'senior individuals'.

The advertisement for applicants states they should be able to "confidently lead a group with enthusiasm, as well as being organised punctual and patient".

An assessment day at Holmes Chapel community centre on 20 April, for anyone interested in becoming a Harry's Home Village tour guide.

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