News UK today reveals details of the new state-of-the-art studios for Piers Morgan Uncensored, the flagship weeknight show launching on TalkTV at 8pm on Monday 25 April. 

The studios have been created within the Ealing Broadcast Centre, from where Piers Morgan Uncensored will be broadcast live. The concept for the studio was developed by award-winning TalkTV Executive Director Erron Gordon, formerly the launch director for both Good Morning Britain and Peston on ITV. 

The studio design has been realised by award-winning designer Jim Fenhagen, whose previous work in the UK includes Good Morning Britain (2014 & 2018), the Sky News Centre, (2005) and Channel 5 News (2005). In the US, Jim has designed sets for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS), The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) and Fox News Studios. He has also designed the Channel 7 Sunrise studios in Australia.

The new studio creates a multi-purpose 360-degree environment to allow shooting from every angle. The set includes a stand-out state-of-the-art LED archway, never before seen on a British television news programme. 

TalkTV Executive Director Erron Gordon said: “I began with an absolutely blank canvas in terms of the studio space – with the simple vision to create something as unique as the show itself. Knowing Piers Morgan Uncensored will be broadcast across three continents, we have created a truly state-of-the-art environment containing unique design elements not yet seen in British TV news.” 

The environment also contains a fully automated LED lighting kit and a state-of-the-art track lighting system pioneered by Emmy award-winning lighting designer Deke Hazirjian of New York City Lites with instruments and lighting programming by B360 and LED screens supplied by JL Lighting.

Erron added: “Using the LED screens and lighting, the studio environment can be turned from the Piers Morgan Uncensored look into any other environment; we will utilise this working with Piers to create special event programming. The space is uniquely flexible.”

Set construction is by Scott Fleary, who have been responsible for constructing some of the most recognizable sets on British television, including: Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice and The Masked Singer. 

Meanwhile, new studio space has also been created at News UK’s London Bridge headquarters, The News Building. Two versatile new television studios will be home to The News Desk, the prime time news programme hosted by award-winning journalist and broadcaster Tom Newton Dunn. Nightly panel debate show The Talk, featuring Sharon Osbourne, will also broadcast from The News Building, as will hourly and half-hourly news and weather bulletins. 

Both studios are fitted with state of the art versatile VR and AR technology using Brainstorm and Chyron, allowing the production team to deliver a bigger sense of space and creative versatility. Design has been provided by MOOV, industry leaders in virtual sets having created bespoke VR and AR content for BBC Sport and BT Sport. Additional hard set elements were designed by Jim Fenhagen. 

Erron said: “One of the key considerations of the design of these studios was making them feel as real as possible. Our sets are about creating a realistic backdrop to house content from some of the best journalists in the country. We never want to distract from the storytelling, so we use the virtual environment to help create an authentic space to tell those stories.”  

TalkTV’s daytime schedule at launch will broadcast televised shows from News UK’s fast-growing news and opinion brand TalkRadio. Media Powerhouse, specialists in visualised radio studios have constructed new set environments designed by Jim Fenhagen, working with TalkRadio Programme Director Dennie Morris. 

Dennie Morris said: “We’ve added some movement to our main studio video wall, aligning it to the visual experience of our bespoke TV studios. Alongside that, we’ve ensured cameras get the best shots of the studio guests. This is visualised radio at its best; it feels at home on television while retaining the unique look and feel of a radio studio environment.”

TalkTV will go to air at 7pm on Monday 25 April with the UK launch of TalkTV on linear TV platforms Sky Channel 526, Virgin Media Channel 627, Freeview Channel 237 and Freesat Channel 217. TalkTV will also be streamed via Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus and on YouTube, as well as via the Talk.TV website and TalkTV iOS and Android apps. TalkTV will also be available via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter.

Everyone in the UK will be able to access TalkTV and its programming, live or on-demand, either on their television or on any personal device. The channel will be streamed live and made widely available on all platforms, including linear TV and OTT, with content available across social media as well as News UK’s own broad inventory of websites and apps. 

News UK continues to hire some exceptional new talent to join a schedule of prime time programming for the evenings with further announcements in the coming weeks. 

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