Pinewood: 80 Years Of Movie Magic

In this special documentary, Jonathan Ross takes viewers on a personal tour behind the scenes of Britain’s most iconic studios, bringing the extraordinary Pinewood story to life and celebrating 80 years of British filmmaking. In 1935 the original British movie maverick, flour magnate J. Arthur Rank, began work on his greatest dream: a British film studio that would be the best in the world. Eighty years on, Pinewood Studios has become one of the most famous in cinema, the beating heart of the UK’s film industry and an artery that runs through the story of British film heritage. At the heart of the programme is Jonathan Ross’s exploration of this iconic studio. He tells the story behind some of Britain’s greatest film moments and reveals the magic behind the movies in some special sequences: he even gets behind the wheel himself to attempt an audacious car stunt, learns how to choreograph a musical sequence from The Muppets Most Wanted, before staging an ambitious underwater action sequence in the fabled underwater stage complete with burning wreckage and a damsel in distress! Jonathan will also encounter the ‘Pinewood people’, who have worked there past and present and the stars who helped make Pinewood great. Barbara Windsor will take Jonathan on a golf buggy tour of the back lots to discover what it was like making classic comedy at Pinewood. Together they explore the exact sites where Barbara did some vigorous exercises for Carry On Camping and see how Heatherden Hall was transformed to a British Raj villa for Carry On Up The Khyber. Inside the grand Hall itself Dame Joan Collins will reveal the secrets of J Arthur Rank’s determination to discover and nurture young stars as she returns to the very room where legendary publicity photographer Cornel Lucas spent weeks creating her iconic brand. Jonathan will watch a special screening of Sir John Mills in Great Expectations with none other than his daughter Hayley Mills, who followed in her father’s footstep and began her own acting career as a child at Pinewood in films such as Whistle Down The Wind. But of course no tour of Pinewood would be complete without a 007 moment; Jonathan is joined by the woman who keeps Bond in check, Miss Moneypenny herself Naomie Harris, before sneaking on the set of the latest Bond instalment SPECTRE, to meet the man behind the myth, executive producer Michael J Wilson. Maverick director Matthew Vaughn will also share his own memories of the ambitious blockbusters he has created at the studio, from Kickass to Kingsman - he understands more than most why Pinewood remains the only studio of choice for epic productions. With rare behind the scenes archive from the BFI, Pinewood: 80 Years of Movie Magic, is a shameless celebration of British cinema and the incredible survival story of a studio that constantly reinvents itself.