The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol has been chosen as the production base for Galavant, a new live-action fairy tale-themed series from Disney’s ABC Studios.
A pilot for the series, also shot at the studios, was the first US broadcast pilot to film in the UK since the Government introduced a new tax relief scheme for ‘high end’ TV shows.
Under the scheme, qualifying shows receive a 25% rebate on 80% of their production budget spent in the UK.
At the time, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne commented: “This government wants to make sure high-end television programming from all over the world is made in the UK.
“These productions bring jobs and investment to our country. That’s why I introduced a specific tax relief to encourage more of them here in the UK.”
Pre-production for the series begun this week at Bottle Yard and filming will begin in August.
Galavant stars Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Timothy Omundson as King Richard, Vinnie Jones as Gareth, Mallory Jansen as Madalena, Karen David as Isabella and Luke Youngblood as Sid.
The show traces the fortunes of dashing hero Galavant, who has lost the love of his life, Madalena, to the evil King Richard and is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after” – but not without a few twists and turns along the way.
Fiona Francombe, Managing Director of The Bottle Yard Studios, said: “We were quietly proud to have been home to the Galavant pilot earlier this year, and we’re thrilled that ABC Studios have now decided to base the full series at The Bottle Yard Studios.
“To have secured a booking from a major international studio like this is confirmation that our facilities are competing at the highest level against other spaces in the UK production scene.”
“We decided to base Galavant at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol because we were confident we’d get a first class service from Fiona Francombe and her team,” said Helen Flint, the show’s UK Producer. “The studio is conveniently situated for Bristol and the great locations that surround the city.”
The studio is also home to a number of major UK shows, including BBC Two’s Wolf Hall and BBC One’s much anticipated Poldark remake.