Eastbrook Studios tour in Yew Tree Avenue, Dagenham

Eastbrook Studios, the “state-of-the-art” site in Dagenham, is described by co-owner Hackman Capital Partners as London’s largest and newest complex.

I am by no means an expert in production or studios but this is an incredibly impressive development.

The building is colour coordinated black, grey and blue, and dominates the landscape as you step out of Dagenham East station – it’s impossible to miss.

The site is impossible to miss when you step out of Dagenham East station (Image: Gianni Cirillo) I was greeted warmly by security and treated to refreshments whilst the tour guides introduced themselves: Anna Wilson of Barking and Dagenham Film Office as well as Russel Parry and Ian Sherborne of co-owner The MBS Group.

The site has 12 studios, which we were initially shown from the outside.

The studios are different sizes so production companies can select which one fits their needs best but even the smallest studio was absolutely enormous.

We were told that the site took more than 1.5 million hours of construction and has been built to accommodate 5,000 people every day.

We stepped into studio three, the largest on the site covering 30,000 square foot, and I can safely say that I have never felt so small in my life.

Studio three spans 30,000 square foot and has a 50 foot high ceiling (Image: Gianni Cirillo) It was like stepping into a giant spaceship – spotless grey walls, an overwhelming amount of open space and an almost impossibly high ceiling.

In February, I spoke to Stephen Hursthouse, vice president of studio real estate at The MBS Group, and he said: “You can see things in pictures but when you actually walk into a 30,000 square foot stage that is 50 foot high with all the gantries, it is pretty impressive.”

I now understand what he meant – the sheer size of the room cannot be grasped through pictures.

We then headed to studio one which spans 21,000 square foot.

The studios offers training and work for school leavers who are interested in working in production (Image: Gianni Cirillo) Here, a beautiful Lotus car was sat under high specification lighting as training was ongoing for staff learning about digital advertising.

It was here that Toby Dare, director of sustainability and risk management at The MBS Group, explained the importance of training young people to work in production.

He spoke about opening opportunities for school leavers to train and work at Eastbrook Studios in roles that some people might not even be aware exist in the film industry such as lighting, carpentry and even law.

After sneaking a closer look at the Lotus, we were taken past the remaining studios and up to the balcony.

The balcony overlooks the complex and central London can be seen on a clear day (Image: Gianni Cirillo) Here I managed to talk to an employee who said he had worked in multiple American studios but this was a “step up” from all of them.

He described the site as “very, very impressive” and disclosed that although nothing is booked in yet, “lots of major producers are enquiring about the studios”.

Finishing the tour on the balcony was a highlight for me, helped by the beaming sun, to sit comfortably and overlook one of the capital’s newest and most impressive developments.

Central London can be seen on a clear day from the balcony, helping to reinforce the prestige and grandeur of where I was sat.

When I spoke to Mr Hursthouse earlier in the year, he urged me to visit in person and experience the sheer scale of the site and I can now confirm that it simply has to be seen in the flesh to understand the enormity of Eastbrook Studios.

It really is one of London’s most colossal developments.