The force is with Pinewood

GOODBYE Mr Bond, hello Darth Vader. Two of the most successful franchises in film history have been following each other in and out of Pinewood Studios, just west of London, for decades now, and the tradition remains in rude health. All but two of the 24 Bond movies were shot at Pinewood; the latest one, “Spectre”, will be released in the autumn. “Star Wars: Episode VII” was filmed at Pinewood last year, and Episode VIII will start shooting there in 2016. In honour of Bond’s contribution to Pinewood, its (and Europe’s) largest film studio is named after the super-spy.

Just as Bond is more popular than ever at the box office, so Pinewood is on the up. Pinewood Group, which owns both the eponymous studios at Iver Heath and a similar set-up at Shepperton, recently announced record annual revenues, of £75m ($117m), up by £11m on the previous year, and record profits. Such is the demand for Pinewood’s services that it has just started a £200m expansion that will see it almost double in size, building ten new stages after years of wrangling with local planning authorities.