The Underwater Stage is an underwater film and television studio stage at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

in Iver,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, United Kingdom. It is the only one of its kind in Europe. The stage was opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The stage's tank is permanently filled, and the water is constantly heated, maintained at . The water is filtered using an ultraviolet system which creates crystal clear water and a comfortable environment to work in, for both cast and crew. Plans for the construction of the stage were first announced in April 2004. The stage was opened on 18 May 2005, by Gordon Brown, the then

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

. Brown opened the stage by pressing a button that dropped a car into the water tank. The stage has been used for television, film, commercials, pop videos and photo shoots. The stage has hosted: '' The Da Vinci Code'', '' Basic Instinct 2'', '' Scoop'', ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...

'', a music video for James Blunt, and a Water Aid promotion with actress Keira Knightley. It has also been utilised for scientific experiments involving imaging sonar. It has also been used for a sport relief special called ''Strictly Underwater'' where two couples from the 2011 series of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

'' battled it out by dancing underwater. It is also commonly used by ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' when the cast and crew are filming underwater scenes.

References

External links

Pinewood Studios Underwater Filming Stage
British film studios Television studios in England {{film-studio-stub