Pinewood: 80 Years of Movie Magic

Just 20 miles from London,

in a quiet corner of Buckinghamshire,

lies 90 acres of land

that is Britain's answer to Hollywood.

Hidden by trees and surrounded by fences,

Pinewood Studios clearly guards its secrets.

Until now, as I've been given the keys to the kingdom!

I've finally got the chance to explore this incredible place,

and discover the magic behind some of the greatest movies ever made.

The most memorable moments in screen history

have been made here at Pinewood...

..and as it approaches its 80th birthday,

I'm about to share its remarkable story.

# Oh, me ol' bam-boo, me ol' bamboo

# You'd better never bother with me ol' bamboo...#

It's an unlikely tale of how a flour mill owner from Hull

turned a dusty country pile

into one of the largest and most influential studios in the world.

Along the way, I'll meet the legendary stars it's created.

I was "England's answer to Ava Gardner"

and "the coffee-bar Jezebel."

I loved that one!

And I'll also seek out the unsung heroes behind the screen...

One, two, three, four...

..who will restage long-lost dance numbers...

..reveal cutting-edge special effects...

..and even persuade me to attempt my very first car stunt...

..all leading to an ambitious underwater spectacular

that will show just why Pinewood remains

the beating heart of British film.

GONG REVERBERATES

I'm about to take you on a tour that will reveal the hidden mastery

behind some of the most magical moments on screen.

Welcome to Pinewood.

Who said movie-making was glamorous?

Once you get past the gates,

you find yourself in this labyrinth of roads and backlots

and anonymous-looking office buildings

that surround Pinewood's 16 sound stages.

Now, it might not look much to write home about

until you discover the incredible stories

waiting around every corner.

While it may be hard to believe,

this is a dream factory that has churned out my all-time

favourite films -

a staggering range of timeless classics

from firm family favourites

to big-budget blockbusters.

The greatest names on-screen and off have passed through Pinewood,

but there is one figure who has taken up permanent residence -

a man who is my ultimate hero.

-BOND THEME TUNE

-Bond.

James Bond.

CHAMPAGNE CORK POPS

The face may have changed, but the studio has remained the same.

Moneypenny, what would I do without you?

My problem is that you never do anything WITH me.

It's a date.

Pinewood has been the home of Bond for the past five decades

and much of the action

has been filmed on the world-famous sound stage dedicated to 007.

One of the largest in the world, it was built in 1976

to house the immense submarine sets

from The Spy Who Loved Me.

Since then, it's taken us to the Arctic...

LOUD EXPLOSION

..and deep underground.

And the world waits with bated breath

for Bond's latest assignment, in production here right now.

BOND THEME

The sound stages of Pinewood have been home to the most ambitious

and iconic Bond set pieces,

but arguably the most memorable scene took place out here,

when Bond's Aston Martin spun through these narrow lanes

and into cinema history.

This, for me, is the greatest Bond film,

and while I'll admit that this car chase required little more

than a few cardboard boxes...

RICOCHETING GUNFIRE

..it began a rich tradition of heart-stopping car stunts.

You can keep your Bond girls and your exotic locations,

it's the action that keeps me coming back for more.

And today I'm gonna learn just how it's done

from one of the best in the business.

Ben Collins is the go-to British stunt driver for Bond,

and has got behind the wheel

of some of the most spectacular vehicles on screen.

Sadly, this isn't one of them.

But with what I'm about to do to it,

it's probably best that it's not top-of-the-range.

Yes, THAT is what I'm about to attempt.

When I was told that Pinewood had the perfect ROLL for me

this wasn't what I had in mind!

-Nicely done.

-It's your ride.

-Ben, nice to meet you.

-Good to meet you.

-So this is the beast?

-This is your beast, yeah.

It's a little bit "economy". It's only 15 years old.

Other than that, just needs a wash. It's fine, just a bit grimy.

It could do with a clean-up.

Back to driving - I assumed most of that was done with CGI these days?

It looks so much better when you do it for real.

You think anyone could turn the car over in movie-style?

Yeah, potentially anyone can do it.

If you stick to the speed we set you, you'll be fine.

The beauty of what we're doing with you is similar to what we do

with the actors on the big screen, as well...

Getting them as close to the action as possible.

And for you to experience it, and launch one yourself, is awesome.

While the team prepares the backlot for my stunt debut,

I'm going to get some advice from another of Ben Collins' students -

Miss Moneypenny.

Just get clear!

Naomie Harris has Ben to thank

for putting her right in the heart of the action.

While he sat on the roof and steered -

all she had to do was hold on for dear life.

There's a part of me that wishes I WAS driving,

because you're so out of control.

Because, obviously, Ben Collins is up top

and he's doing all the driving and you have zero control.

Because you are a passenger, effectively.

That must've been genuinely dangerous.

I'd have thought they wouldn't want to risk you.

I would've thought so, as well!

I didn't even know, they're like, "Yeah, you'll be in there."

It's like, "Really?!"

I thought they'd be shooting from afar and I'd be miles away. But no.

He's got a stunt planned for me, apparently.

Do you think I should trust him? Is he going to look after me?

I think you're in the safest possible hands.

And with the nicest man, as well.

Anything goes wrong, I'm coming for you, Naomie!

Naomie made quite the debut in Skyfall...

Finally, the lovelorn secretary got to see some action.

Take the bloody shot!

'But today she's hot-foot from the set of Spectre.'

Do you have some favourite scenes, some favourite moments

in the Bond movies you were in?

I really, really loved the casino scene in Skyfall.

Because it was just like quintessential Bond movie -

with all the extras so glamorous

and being in this incredible location

and wearing this gorgeous gown...

Just magical.

-And that was meant to be Macau, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

-But was that done here in Pinewood?

-Here in Pinewood, yes.

We can make anything happen here in Pinewood.

There were, like, 31 sets that were built here

just for Skyfall alone. It's crazy.

And what sets have they built for... For the new one?

Oh...wouldn't you like to know!

The secrecy around the Bond films

must be one of the toughest parts of the job.

To be able to keep it quiet for as long as you have to, must be...

Yeah, especially when everybody - like you! -

is trying to get secrets out of us. It's really, really difficult.

That's why I appreciate that today you said you'd tell us everything.

-Did I really?

-I thought that was the deal.

-Really? Was that the deal?

-How is Blofeld?

Erm...

THEY LAUGH

-OK.

-That was a very nice try.

Yeah. You're good!

Yeah. I'm skilled at this.

Forensics finally released this.

What is it?

Personal effects they recovered from Skyfall.

You've got a secret.

Something you can't tell anyone.

Because you don't trust anyone.

Naomie has clearly been well trained to keep Bond's secrets -

but there's one more thing I can try...

BOND THEME MUSIC

Breaking into Bond HQ.

THEME CONTINUES

Having made it through the door,

frankly, the set isn't giving much away,

so I'm hoping I can work my charm on Naomie's boss,

the Big Cheese,

the man who has been the guardian of Bond's legacy

for the last 36 years -

executive producer, Michael Wilson.

'I was kinda hoping he'd be stroking a white cat.'

Michael, thank you very much for having us here.

It's so exciting being in Pinewood

with the set of the latest Bond movie behind us.

I read the rumours that there's a possible sequence in the new movie

in Bognor Regis.

-Now, I know you can't...

-I can't reveal that.

..you can't reveal that, but if one were -

and, oh, happy day if it happens -

but if we do see Bond finally hitting Bognor Regis,

will he REALLY be there, or will Bognor Regis be recreated

lovingly in the end of this space?

I'd love to make it right here. Er, if we could.

You can't tell us anything about Spectre, I guess,

apart from the title?

Yeah, the title of the movie we kept under wraps for a while.

But now you know.

That's out. Erm...

We all know the song - it's going to be Chas and Dave, I believe?

Let me guess... Something bad is happening...

-Is something bad happening?

-And Bond has to stop it.

-So, Bond is... OK.

-I know.

And it all takes place in Bognor Regis.

Largely on Earth?

Or there might be a bit of space on this one?

We have a meteor.

There... We have a meteor.

There you go! That's pretty good.

That's more than I thought you'd tell us!

'Having teased out a tiny hint

'of what lies in store for Bond later in the year,'

I've now got my own date with destiny.

They are ready for me on the backlot.

Unfortunately.

Ben's colleague Derek Lea

is the man who'll be in the hot seat beside me

as I attempt my first - and possibly last - car roll.

Jonathan, this is Derek. He's going on this journey with you.

-Nice to meet you, Derek.

-And you.

-He's crashed a lot of cars.

They've named scrapheaps after you, haven't they? Well experienced.

-He's got the profile of someone who's crashed a lot of cars.

-Yeah.

I've got one of those faces you can't stop hitting.

THEY LAUGH

What are the risks?

There's always... There's always a risk.

But this car has been fully prepped.

It's got Makrolon screens, roll bar,

steel plates in the floor,

steel plates in the ceiling,

the airbags have been disabled,

dummy fuel cell... The list goes on.

Believe me, all you've got to do is enjoy it.

-So, this is as safe as it could be.

-It is.

'I'd always thought I'd make a fantastic Bond -

'but while I feel quietly confident that I will Die Another Day,

'the ambulance and fire crews suggest everyone else is expecting

'a Quantum of Solace.'

'Lucky ol' Naomie just had to pretend to be driving -

'unfortunately, this is going to be all too real.'

Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going,

keep going... That's it. That's it.

That's a good speed.

'Incredibly, all I get is just 20 minutes of tuition

'before I'm told I'm good to go.'

-That's about right, yeah?

-Yeah.

You can go as fast as you want.

It scrubs off speed so quick, once you hit that ramp,

if you go any slower than that, it just...

-Well, we should maybe go five miles faster. Maybe try for 30.

-30?

-Yeah, what do you reckon?

-OK.

-Cos I think once you're committed,

-you're committed, aren't you?

-That's it.

So everyone should clear, Abi.

'What I had hoped would be a full celebration

'of the last eight decades here at Pinewood

'could be all over...

'..oh...in about eight seconds!'

Right, here we go.

Go on, Jonathan, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going,

HIT IT! HIT IT!

LONG BLEEP

THEY LAUGH

-Well done!

-Well, that was fun!

I don't think I'd rush to do it again, though.

-LAUGHS:

-We did it!

That was a blinder! You got it back on its feet.

Easy with that, it's a bit bent.

Very good! Well done.

-Fantastic. Great job.

-Excellent.

-It was fun. It was fun.

Wow, look at that!

We went to town on this. Wow.

-How do you think you did?

-I think I did OK.

-I don't think my future lies in stunt work.

-I disagree.

I thought that was mega.

Your practice runs were so controlled... You nailed it.

I think I should've started earlier if I was going to do that.

I don't think Derek's got anything to worry about just yet.

While I admit it wasn't that fast, and I'm only mildly furious,

let's sprinkle some Pinewood magic and see how it looks on film.

It's certainly been a thrill to get a taste of the action

in a studio that's created some of

the greatest action heroes of all time.

An unrivalled cast list

of gun-toting...

..death-defying...

..heart-stopping giants of the silver screen.

But the original hero of Pinewood was this man.

ARCHIVE NARRATOR: J Arthur Rank, a successful industrialist

with little movie background,

Rank is one of the richest men in England -

possessor of a huge industrial fortune

which was derived primarily from a flour-milling business

built up by his father.

Sober, serious and a devout Methodist, for J Arthur Rank,

movies were a way to spread the word of God.

So when a canny building tycoon approached him with the idea

of building a British film studio, all his prayers were answered.

And the location for Britain's answer to Hollywood?

A country estate in leafy Buckinghamshire, Heatherden Hall.

An oasis of serenity and a welcome chance to shake off my whiplash.

Walking here in these formal gardens,

it's easy to forget that behind me lies thousands of square feet

of backlots and sound stages, but it's this stately setting

that gave Pinewood a touch of class over its American cousins.

We might not be able to offer the sunshine and the palm trees

but who can resist a slice of Downton Abbey?

Construction began in 1935

and you'd think with a location better suited to fox hunting

than film-making, and a boss with little experience,

it would start off small -

but no, this was going to be big - really big!

The supreme ambition of the studio

is reflected in the name itself - Pinewood -

clearly hoping to borrow some of Hollywood's Tinseltown glitter

but as Rank himself was fond of pointing out,

"Unlike the holly, which is the bush of a small tree,

"the pine is big, strong and magnificent."

With the opening of the Pinewood Studios

at Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire,

one of the finest and best equipped film studios in Europe is

dedicated to British film production and the service of the screen.

Along with the sound stages and extensive backlots,

one of the first additions to the studio was this enormous water tank.

It measures 32,000 square feet

and has a capacity of 806,000 gallons of water,

which allowed them to sink the Titanic in A Night To Remember.

Help, help me!

The message was clear - Pinewood was ready for big productions

and big sets.

But Pinewood was lacking something

that Hollywood had in abundance - stars.

That didn't bother Rank, however, who - like any good factory boss -

decided, if you don't have something, make it yourself.

Rank scoured the land for the screen sirens of tomorrow -

even opening a charm school to polish the rougher edges.

And the results weren't half bad -

one of the star pupils was Diana Fluck -

or should I saw Diana Dors, Britain's answer to Marilyn.

But there was one actress that the studio signed up immediately,

who's returning today,

more than 60 years since she first passed through these gates.

A woman who still has the power to turn my legs to jelly.

# Those devil lips that know so well the art of lying

# And though I see the dangers, still the flame grows higher... #

The glamorous, glittering, irrepressible Dame Joan Collins.

'Joan spent two years as a Rank starlet

'and the studio transformed the 18-year-old girl

'into a screen goddess'

but she spent less time making movies than posing

for the studio's publicity photographer, Cornel Lucas.

Cornel's masterful use of lighting immortalised legends

such as Marlene Dietrich

and Brigitte Bardot.

His studio has long gone, but the room is still here at Pinewood.

So this, I believe, was the studio that Cornel would have shot you in.

Oh, wow. Oh, I remember this. All those endless, endless hours.

It was torturous. Actually, just sitting...

And he put me in all these ridiculous poses and... Here he is!

-That's him in action.

-Yeah, I thought he was quite cute.

I remember that. He was kind of good-looking, wasn't he?

He's stylish.

-That is like an iconic shot, I believe.

-It is.

He wanted me to look, I guess, sexy and he wanted me to look grown-up,

which I wasn't, because I was still at drama school.

That's what's fascinating, though, because you look so self-possessed.

-You look...

-You think?

-..sophisticated. Yeah, I think so.

No, if you look in the eyes, that's a little girl trying to escape.

-HE LAUGHS

-Nice figure.

-Beautiful, beautiful figure.

-Yeah. Oh!

-Beautiful bra in that one!

That was an unusual period for ladies' undergarments!

That is ridiculous. Why did we do that? What kind of a bra is that?

-It doesn't even...

-It's really embarrassing. Oh!

-Well, that's quite cute.

-Beautiful.

-Look. There it is.

-That was it.

-That's the staircase.

-Wow! Oh, my goodness.

-That's unbelievable.

-That's it there. Yes, of course.

-That's amazing.

After his very first meeting with Joan,

Lucas declared that this was a girl with a career ahead of her.

I was "England's answer to Ava Gardner" was one of them

and "the coffee bar Jezebel". I loved that one!

So the look - when we think of Joan Collins, we think of glamour.

-You are... You still have that kind of old-school glamour.

-Old?

-Don't you...

-I don't mean that way but you know what I mean?

-I know.

-It's a kind of classic and...

-Yeah.

-You don't see it so much any more.

Was that because of your time here, do you think?

Did they influence you in that way?

Because you were more bohemian in your day-to-day life.

I was very bohemian. I wore black polo necks, I wore no lipstick

and black eyeliner, bangs down to here,

I went to jazz clubs all the time, smoked cigarettes.

So when they brought me here and they started to tart me up

and put lipstick on me and do my hair,

I wasn't really thrilled about that and I would, you know,

rub it all off, take it all off and I went home and put my civvies on.

The studio decided to cast Joan in a series of bad-girl roles,

including a lady of the night, newly released from Holloway prison.

They clearly recognised in the actress a natural ability

for playing femme fatales

but, in true movie style, with a heart of gold.

Goodnight.

'I was really a very wicked lady.'

And that's how it all started, Jonathan.

The bitch began very young!

-So it's really all thanks to Pinewood that we have...

-Yes.

-Yes, obviously.

-..the bitch persona.

-Yes. Yes, I know. I DO do it well.

-You do it very well.

-Even though I'm not like that.

Pinewood has a rich tradition of playing host to bewitching

leading ladies, from Marilyn Monroe herself to Elizabeth Taylor

and Meryl Streep.

But the very first Grand Dame of the studio,

the Angelina Jolie of her day, was Anna Neagle.

She was the star of the first film ever to be completed

here at the studio in 1937 - London Melody.

And I have rare behind-the-scenes footage which offers

a glimpse of that production.

MUSIC: The Eyes Of The World Are On You by Anna Neagle

But what you'll notice pretty quickly

is the first film made by the studio was a musical

and it certainly wasn't the last.

MUSIC: Dancing Queen by ABBA

# We could have been anything that we wanted to be. #

# All day long, I'd biddy biddy bum If I were a wealthy man. #

# Hey! Me ol' bam-boo, me ol' bamboo

# You'd better never bother with me ol' bamboo. #

# Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men. #

Pinewood is full of surprises.

From camp crowd-pleasers to timeless pop classics

and big budget blockbusters, this studio has given us

some of the greatest musicals ever made.

And there is one woman

who has been carrying on that rich tradition here at Pinewood -

world-renowned choreographer Francesca Jaynes.

She's worked here on my favourite musical of all time...

Sweeney Todd.

# Of course when she goes there, poor thing, poor thing

# They're having this ball all in masks... #

But today, on Stage E,

she's going to recreate her own favourite number for us, which is...

We're Doing a Sequel from Muppets Most Wanted.

And I think the reason for that

is because A, I had 65 dancers

and I could reference Busby Berkeley, Esther Williams,

Donald O'Connor, Fred Astaire,

all the greats and we had an absolute ball.

# We're doing a sequel

# It's more of the same

# Let's give it a name

# How 'bout The Muppets Again?

# It's The Muppets Again... #

There was a section in the middle

which didn't make the cut of the movie.

But it pays homage to all the comedic performers.

We have people falling into baskets, we've got a guy with a plank,

people chucking hammers.

-It was joyous.

-But that must be heartbreaking

when you've got something you love that much

and probably for reasons of pace, I imagine, it doesn't make the final.

Well, it was heartbreaking but I should have put a Muppet in it.

I should have put one just popping out of the teapot,

because then it would have made the cut.

-The clue was in the title of the film.

-Yeah.

-It's not about me, is it?

-It wasn't called The Dancers' Movie!

-No.

But just for us, Fran has gathered together her dancers

to recreate that deleted scene.

We've got Lyon and Ross, who have the brooms.

So you think they are just two guys sweeping up.

One, two, three, four, five.

And you get the classic trips.

Six, two, three...

Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

-Nice.

-Yeah.

-JONATHAN LAUGHS

Yeah! It's just a little throwaway, yeah!

You start with an idea and you just build it.

So Leigh is actually going to step forward

-and she will be in point shoes.

-Wow!

-Yeah.

And then they will measure her.

-And everything is to a particular rhythm. That's it.

-Yeah.

-That's it.

-Would you like to step through?

-Yeah.

I'm really... That's me done! That is me... But seriously, seriously.

That's me done!

'Well, I think it's best I leave it to the professionals,

'so sit back and enjoy Fran's lost scene,

'slotted seamlessly right back where it belongs.'

# I thought it was the end

# I told my friends this is when we get to do it all again

# Do it all again

# Until the credits roll, we've got another golden show

# Then we can do it all again... #

# We're doing a sequel

# Let's give it a go

# With Hollywood stars

# And all the minor cameos

# We're doing a sequel

# I don't mean to be a stickler

# But this is the seventh sequel to our original motion picture

# We're doing a sequel... #

AIR-RAID SIREN

But back in 1938, just as the studio was beginning to find its feet,

the singing and dancing suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

The nation faced its darkest hour.

The government requisitioned the studio and shut down production,

using the space to rehouse key departments

away from the heart of London and the bombing.

But the arrival of the Royal Mint at least allowed the studio to boast

it was finally making money.

But filming WAS still happening in secret.

The Army Film and Photographic Unit moved in

and with it a number of young enthusiastic film-makers,

including twin brothers Roy and John Boulting

and a young sergeant called Richard Attenborough,

all employed to make a series of stirring war films

to show those Jerries that

the British stiff upper lip never wobbles.

OK. We've two engines and just enough fuel.

-I'm taking you home, boys.

-Good for you, Johnny.

OK, skipper. That's the stuff. I've got a date tonight.

In short, Pinewood had become a nursery for new talent.

And as soon as the war was over,

Rank swiftly reopened the studio, eager to build on it.

Suddenly Pinewood was back in business - and how!

In just a few short years, the studio produced arguably the finest

British films ever made.

Powell and Pressberger gave us a stunning melodrama

and a surreal musical.

And it was David Lean's classic take on Dickens

that brought Sir John Mills to the studio and heralded the arrival

of a family that would come to live and breathe Pinewood.

I'm attending a rather special screening at the studio

with none other than his daughter, Hayley.

You had a child once whom you loved and lost.

She lived and found powerful friends.

She is living now.

She is a lady.

And very beautiful.

And...I love her.

Well, they don't make 'em like that any more.

-That's a powerful scene, isn't it?

-Yes.

Gosh, I'm glad I've got a hanky.

-Wow.

-Yes.

-It's quite something.

Beautiful movie.

So that's your father in one of the greatest British movies of all time.

-Yes.

-Shot here at Pinewood.

Did he talk to you about the experience of making that?

Well, he loved making that movie.

It was...a brilliant part. And...

I think one of...

One of the very best, you know, movies of a Dickens story

that you can imagine.

It was very true, it had a great integrity. Um...

He was very proud of it.

Pinewood is very much part of his life and, um...

..part of all our lives, really.

Hayley, of course, was a huge star in her own right,

and filmed one of her most moving roles here at Pinewood,

playing a young girl who believes she's found Jesus in her barn.

We know who you are.

And we're going to look after you.

We'll try and get you some better stuff next time.

Were you ever working here concurrently with your sister

and with your dad?

Were you ever, the three of you,

making different films at the same time?

Yes, absolutely.

In 1961, my dad was doing Tiara Tahiti with James Mason,

my sister was doing Twice Round The Daffodils,

and I was doing In Search Of The Castaways.

I nearly burnt my dressing room down...

HE CHUCKLES

..because I put a pair of these awful green trousers

that I was wearing in the film, they got wet - I don't know why -

and I hung them over this electric radiator, and they caught fire.

And if somebody hadn't seen smoke

billowing out of my dressing room door,

I would've... The whole thing would've gone up in flames.

-You could have been the girl who destroyed Pinewood.

-Yes!

Well, I'm glad you weren't.

I don't... I don't think I fully appreciated

how much a part of my growing up these studios have been.

In 1948, Great Expectations scooped two Oscars for the studio.

So you would imagine the worries of the war years were long gone.

But Rank had a keener eye for talent than he did for budgets.

Pinewood was, in fact, haemorrhaging money.

The next big drama for the studio would happen in the boardroom.

A swift change of management saw Rank take a back seat

and an accountant take the helm.

Budgets were slashed and the books were balanced.

But this scared off some of the more creative directors.

Those early classics that had won international acclaim

were replaced by films with a uniquely...

home-grown appeal.

This new era was characterised

by the latest star to be signed up to the studio.

Hollywood had Brando and Bogart,

Pinewood had Norman.

In the 1950s, Norman Wisdom was already a popular stage performer.

But it was Pinewood that make him a screen superstar,

with a winning formula of slapstick and hapless charm.

It might seem dated today but in 1954,

Norman Wisdom's first film won him a BAFTA.

Then, in 1963, the little fella in the flat cap

delivered a knockout blow to James Bond,

toppling From Russia With Love to become number one at the box office.

The studio was laughing all the way to the bank.

So Norman's success was swiftly followed by the Doctor films,

with a similar recipe of madness and mayhem,

back when the NHS was something to laugh about.

OK, they weren't going to win any prizes for originality

but if it ain't broke, why fix it?

In the 1950s and '60s, the studio became a comedy factory

and there was one formula that worked time and time again -

or, to put it another way -

it would Carry On and Carry On.

Left, right, left, right, left, right.

The genius of the series was its simplicity.

Take a regular troupe of actors

and send up a familiar British institution -

the Army, the NHS

and, here at Pinewood,

nothing was more perfect for parody than Bond.

So, in the same year that Goldfinger came out,

Carry On Spying saw the arrival of another national treasure.

Less double-0, more double-D.

MUSIC: These Boots Were Made For Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra

Pinewood was about to launch its secret weapon -

Britain's greatest blonde bombshell.

-Hey!

-Wow.

-Barbara. That is arriving in style.

-Not bad, eh?

-Wow.

-Now, are you going to drive me around?

-Yeah, I'll chauffeur you.

-Yeah, yeah. OK.

-Cos I want to see... I want your memories of this place.

-OK, you ready to go?

-Yes, I am.

-Hold on tight.

-Yes. Yes.

EERIE MUSIC

Enough. Stop the optical device.

Barbara's debut was already the ninth Carry On film in the series.

Open your mouth.

Now, you understand what you have to do?

And it took some persuading from her agent

to really get her teeth into it.

Now...

ARGH!

He said, "Well, they're doing the last of the black and whites."

And it was with Bernie Cribbins, who was a friend,

and I thought, "Well, that'll be rather nice, you know?"

And he said, "You'll learn about filming on that,

"you'll realise you're OK.

"You imagine you are useless at it."

-So it was like going to school, almost?

-Yes, it was.

Right, you can come in now.

'And my first scene was with Kenneth.'

Good evening.

'Kenneth had this long beard down him, and he was being a bit stroppy.'

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you, sir.

HE GASPS

Oh, yes, 'ere!

Oh, never mind.

HAIR today, gone tomorrow.

HE LAUGHS

On my first line, I went...

SHE CHOKES "Oh, I'm so sorry."

And he went, "Oh, ducky, do get it right!" And I said...

I was so upset that he didn't say, "That's all right,"

and made me feel an idiot, I went, "Don't you have a go at me

"with Fenella Fielding's minge hair around your chops."

SHE LAUGHS

It's a bit of a grey day, I'm sorry to have dragged you out...

But it's perfect. It wouldn't have been right had it been sunny.

We never had a sunny day in our lives, did we?

-So you filmed even when it was bad weather?

-It didn't matter.

"Won't show," they used to say.

While the films were big hits at the box office,

the production team still kept a tight rein on the budgets,

using every possible corner of the studio as a set.

This, I think,

-if I'm right in thinking this was Moore-Nookey Hall.

-It was, it was.

We did everything there. It looks very grand, doesn't it?

I think it's been a hospital, it's been a bit of a palace.

It's been everything, you know?

Well, how about a kiss, Mrs Nookey, eh?

-I definitely know I've seen this in almost every...

-Everything!

We all have our favourite memories of Carry On, but for Barbara,

it was here, in the formal gardens behind the house

where she got closest to playing a Windsor.

This is where we filmed my favourite film of all time,

Carry On Henry.

I loved it because it was all in wonderful costumes

-and we used the costumes from the Richard Burton film.

-Ah!

And Sid looked wonderful in them.

With all those beautiful ladies in there,

why on earth did you pick on me?

Well, there's a couple of things, I suppose.

Oh, Maj, you're only after one thing.

Why? What's the matter with the other one?

THEY LAUGH

We can't complete this trip down memory lane

without seeking out the location of a scene

that left a very big impression on my formative years.

-Does this bring back memories, though, now you're here?

-Well...

I... No, it doesn't.

Because, I mean, it looks like a dump, doesn't it?

But then, when I think about it, so did the scene, didn't it,

in the Carry On Camping?

Fling! And in.

And fling! And in.

-And fling!

-SPROING!

HE SPLUTTERS

THE GIRLS LAUGH

Ooh! Matron! Take them away!

Oh!

He got this fishing rod and this hook and, of course, I had to go...

And Kenny had to go, "Out they go! And out they go!" You see?

And then he had to pull it, and it had to go flying.

And I said, "It won't happen." "Oh, yes, it will."

Anyway, it didn't.

And what was the first time it happened?

-I got pulled and I went into the mud.

-So the fishing rod pulled you?

Well, it would. You know, like that. There's the old bra there.

There's the bra there.

And it's going like that, and it wouldn't come off.

So, "Pick her up, mop her down. Go for another take, another take."

And I can hear Kenneth saying in the background,

"Treated like a load of shit, it's a DISGRACE.

"Don't you stand for it, Barbara." Like, what are you going to?

But I loved it. It's how I imagined Hollywood to be.

-It was England's Hollywood.

-Yes. It was great.

Carry On was a phenomenon, lasting over 20 years and 30 films.

Phwoar!

I won't ask how far you want to go, I might get the wrong answer.

Only to the bottom, me dear.

But, by the 1970s, the joke was wearing thin.

And, increasingly, the studio found there was little to laugh about.

The three-day week, strikes, power cuts -

the government had more on its mind

than propping up a failing British film industry.

Alongside with the growth of popularity of television,

it looked like Pinewood's glory days were over

until, on the horizon, a glimmer of hope appears.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Well, you know the rest.

MUSIC: Superman Theme by John Williams

I was a socially awkward 17-year-old in East London

when the posters for Superman came out with one big promise...

Little did I know that, over in Pinewood,

there was an increasing mood of panic -

how do you make it happen?

The Superman flying unit spent months trying different techniques.

From catapulting dummies...

CRASH!

..to radio-controlled models...

..even animation...

..before turning back to traditional wire rigs.

With mixed results.

The problem was, the crew at Pinewood

had become preoccupied with launching Superman across the screen

when, in fact, he didn't need to move a muscle.

But it would take a real Action Man to show them how it could work.

The trick is this, that everything that appears to be moving

is actually static and everything that's static is actually moving.

Once you get around that, it's dead easy.

Zoran Perisic was the unlikely hero of the hour.

He worked out that if you mounted Superman on a giant metal pole,

all of the movement could be achieved

by moving the camera in what Zoran called his "Zoptic" system.

It consists of a small projector,

which is light and easily manoeuvrable.

The background picture -

like, for example, New York's skyline -

is projected from here.

It goes through a zoom lens via a two-way mirror,

onto a front-projection screen.

The artist, in this case Superman,

stands in front of the front-projection screen

and the composite picture of the background and the foreground

is seen by the camera lens.

Zoran had cracked it.

This was the first shot that we did.

It's totally out of sequence but it was the first shot that we did,

when everybody descended - from the producer, director,

everybody from the offices, even the secretaries -

descended on the stage to look at it on the video monitor.

So everybody realised that it was going to work

even before we saw the finished product.

And was this the moment when you knew you had it nailed?

I went to a screening in Plymouth, of all places.

About as far away from the movie business as you can get.

And I'm sitting in this screening room, in a theatre.

You know, just a regular theatre in Plymouth.

And when that scene of the helicopter, and Lois Lane falls out

and Superman flies in and catches her,

the audience stood up!

I mean... I thought, "My goodness, we must have done something right!"

Zoran, you know, in the '70s in Plymouth,

maybe they'd never seen a helicopter before.

That might have been it!

MUSIC: Superman Theme

CROWD CHEERS

At the time, this was revolutionary. The film was a smash hit.

Zoran earned himself an Oscar,

and Pinewood had proved it could make anything possible.

And they're still doing it today.

Here in the Creative Workshop,

I'm about to demonstrate how far they've come since Superman.

Welcome to the world of 3D scanning.

OK, Jonathan, if you'd like to just centre yourself up.

-So above the big cross there?

-That's it, lovely.

And you're looking straight at the orange marker.

-Want me to throw a few crazy shapes for you?

-Beautiful.

FLASH POPS

My eyes...

And then if we wanted to do a kind of classic, heroic kind of pose...

Yes, probably sort of just the weight on the back feet little bit,

head up - you know, chin out.

-Oh.

-Smokin'.

FLASH POPS

All good?

And then all of the images will be joined up and knitted together?

Yeah. This is going to show EVERYTHING.

Maybe I won't look, then.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

In just a few seconds, I've been immortalised for ever.

Who knew I had so many dimensions?

So here we have the scan that was done of you earlier.

This is the underlying mesh of your body.

-I'm looking pretty good.

-Pretty good.

And, for small fee, we could touch it up a little bit.

I think we know where to start.

So how would this be used? I see you can move it around

and we can see me from all angles now.

It can be used for all sorts of things,

to create a computer-generated version of you on the screen.

It's used to make physical casts of people to build their costume.

So essentially you're working, step-by-step,

towards finally getting rid of those annoying actors?

Well, no, we're working towards enhancing

the charming and lovely actors.

IT SCREECHES

Tim Webber is a superstar of special effects.

He's worked on Harry Potter,

The Dark Knight...

and even scooped an Oscar for Gravity.

What's the kind of legacy of Pinewood

when it comes to special effects?

What kind of echoes do you feel reverberating through your work?

A huge amount, I think.

You know, Pinewood and special effects have a very strong link

going back to the matte paintings in Black Narcissus.

I didn't realise until comparatively recently

that they hadn't used any locations.

It is very strange when you see the final shot

and then what was originally filmed

and she's a few feet above the ground

and it feels incredibly vertiginous when the matte painting's there

and it looks seamless in many ways.

The master of visual effects, Ray Harryhausen, the man

who more or less singlehandedly kept stop motion alive,

I suspect if you put that in a movie today,

an audience might not take it as seriously as we did as kids.

-Is that something that you have to be aware of?

-Definitely. Yes.

I think the qualities of stop motion, and it has some fantastic qualities,

you know, you could use them in a knowing way

in the right sort of movie to give it a very specific style

but audiences' expectations of reality have increased massively.

Every movie we improve, they expect more for the next movie.

I guess the real challenge is always getting the balance right

so that we don't have a film which is all spectacle but no heart.

If you haven't got a heart in your movie

it doesn't matter how many visual effects or how much spectacle

you throw at it, it's not going to be an interesting movie.

It's got to have some human emotion and some heart in the core of it.

-Still got to have a great story, great characters.

-All of that.

-Believable plot.

-Yes.

-Big challenge, great villain.

-Yeah.

-And a little bit of special effects.

-Oh, exactly.

All of the classic things.

Over its 80 years,

Pinewood has grown to become more of a small town than a studio.

Home to set builders, prop makers, editors, sound mixers,

costume designers, make-up artists

and, of course, special effects supervisors,

but there is one person that they all answer to,

one person where the buck finally stops -

the director.

Movie maverick Matthew Vaughn has redefined superheroes and spies

for a whole new generation.

And I want to know why he's chosen to make his biggest hits

at Pinewood.

That is sick.

When you think of Pinewood Studios, what do you think?

What are the qualities that make Pinewood what it is?

It's the British charm of bad food,

sound stages which are really cow sheds

and no air conditioning,

but apart from that, I love it.

We've got the best film crews in the world.

And why are the craftsmen as revered as they are?

I would've thought someone who's building a set

is going to build it the same in Los Angeles as they will in Hong Kong

as they will in Pinewood.

I'm amazed, every time I've worked with a British crew,

how much better they are.

In England, you meet people that want to be the best carpenter

or the best sound guy or the best editor.

They want to be the best at what they do.

We're a bunch of British guys together having a laugh

on and off the camera and that makes a real difference.

When you're against the ropes, we do get on with it and make great films.

What I liked about Kick-Ass, we shot that all at Pinewood.

Everybody thinks it's an American film

but we managed to recreate New York in Buckinghamshire.

That's right. We're superheroes. You love us.

What would your favourite scenes be,

where you think you nailed it but also in terms of the impact it had?

The ones the audience loved the most and why that is.

For Kingsman, I would say the pub scene. The first pub scene

when we see Colin beating the living daylights out of some ruffians.

Manners

maketh...

..man.

Everyone was like, "Can Colin Firth really pull this off?"

And I didn't know.

Do you know what that means?

So it was a bit of a gamble.

Are we going to stand around here all day or are we going to fight?

British cinema has always been about punching above our weight

and the way you do it is you have to be different.

With Kick-Ass and with Kingsman,

we put a lot of humour into it, which made it unique.

We couldn't afford to do the big set pieces

so, you know the English mentality,

if there's a problem, make a joke.

I have trouble understanding you people sometimes.

You all talk so funny.

Matthew Vaughn's high-octane stunt-filled extravaganzas

are what Pinewood does best.

Five, four, three,

two, one!

And there's one small corner of the studios still to visit,

where all the really big action takes place.

The perfect setting for our final epic scene.

I was very excited to be coming in here

but it doesn't actually look that much... It looks a bit like

we're in a sort of municipal swimming pool somewhere.

It's not... This isn't the glamour of Pinewood

that I'd been led to expect.

-Is this really where you do all the underwater stuff?

-Absolutely.

At the moment, it's like a completely empty film or television studio.

We need to bring our imagination into it

and then, with imagination and money - the budget -

you could then build incredible things.

Mike Valentine is the best underwater cinematographer

in the business, with a number of slippery tricks up his sleeve.

On the last Bond film, Skyfall, we had a sequence

with Daniel Craig falling through

and having a fight under the water

and this was full of wax, on the surface,

so that he could actually simulate ice on the water.

On Star Wars Episode I, where they've got to swim

to that amazing city with Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor,

so we came up with an idea that they could take a Jedi breathing device

out of their pockets and put them in their mouth and breathe

and it was made from two spark plugs that are welded together

with a little mouthpiece on and they could just swim around.

If anyone's watching that scene again, have a look.

It's just a couple of spark plugs.

Two spark plugs and a little bit of the force and you're good to go.

Exactly.

You should follow me now, okey-day?

This is the best underwater stage on the planet

and to prove it, Mike is going to put it through its paces,

transforming this pool into a dramatic film set,

and to help out, I've donated the prop.

Imagine, my trusty Mondeo has spun off the road in a storm

and crashed into a shallow river.

In preparation, the car has been meticulously cleaned

to ensure nothing can muddy the crystal clear water.

A scaffold has been constructed

to allow the car to be winched into position...

..and a section of fake riverbed is dressed underneath.

Finally, tubes of gas are fed into the engine to set it on fire.

And now, to really build the tension...

This is the very tank where Sandra Bullock crash-landed into the sea

before swimming to safety.

And where poor Keira Knightley was not quite so fortunate.

In tribute, we are going to film a classic damsel-in-distress scene.

All we need is a willing damsel.

So, Sarah, you're playing someone in danger.

You're playing someone trying to get out of the situation.

If you were in actual danger, you'd be doing the same thing

so how do they know when you're acting... I mean, is there...

The underwater crew don't have, like, a safe word?

Well, if you need air all of a sudden,

-then this is the sort of sign that you make.

-So you go like that? OK.

-Well, I can't wait to see it. Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Fingers crossed.

Give me a wave if you're in trouble, I'll be straight in.

-Can't wait for that.

-I'm going to take my jacket off first, obviously.

-Give me two minutes.

-Keep yourself looking good.

-I will be... Eventually, I will arrive.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you for doing this for us.

-Thank you.

Time to go for a take, and while I don't think Sarah believed me,

I am positioned in the support boat

at a safe distance, of course.

It's fair to say that Sarah is having a pretty bad day.

She's about to be locked inside a car that's submerged underwater.

At least it's not on fire.

Oh, me and my big mouth.

Three, two, one, and action.

And...up!

The director at poolside is able to communicate directly

with Sarah and Mike while they're underwater.

That's it. Bang the window now.

Very nice. Perfect. Open the door.

But after just a few minutes,

it's clear Sarah is having some difficulty.

Are you OK?

Push it open. Air, please. Thank you. Cut. Cut.

Everyone to the surface.

Welcome back to the land of the living. So, how was that for you?

Not too bad, but the dress is really wrapping around my legs

at the moment, so just fighting against that a little bit.

Hoping it's going to be a bit better next time.

-OK, so you're going to go for another take, are you?

-Yes.

-OK.

Good luck again. It looks great for me.

I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Sarah gamely goes again.

The challenge for everyone is that filming underwater

takes twice as long

and, of course, there's only so much time in a day -

and energy in an actress.

And regulator out when you're ready.

Three, two...

Hold the breath outside, please, whoever the diver is.

..one, action.

Sarah and the crew are not the only ones holding their breath.

Opening the door.

Out she comes.

OK, and cut!

But this time, it's a wrap.

Wow. Well done. That was the smoothest yet.

I'm really getting a feeling and a sense of how hard it must be

-swimming in that.

-Yeah. It's not the easiest

but that one seemed to go a lot better.

-I think I'm happy with that one.

-You definitely nailed it.

-Let's call it a day now. Let me give you a hand.

-Excellent.

-You come in here with me. Don't pull me in!

-OK.

I know it's tempting.

Blimey. That dress.

I'm not sure where to put my hands. Here we go.

'So, let's take a look at the final cut

'and discover if Sarah is destined to live happily ever after.'

BRAKES SQUEAL

CRASH

If I've learned nothing else on this tour,

it's that filming is a risky business

and Pinewood should have sunk without trace

more than once over the last 80 years.

But time and time again, it's come back from the brink.

Pinewood's story has been as tense and dramatic as any film script

but its ability to adapt to changing times has seen it become

one of the largest and most successful studios in the world.

A constant master of reinvention.

In the last year alone, we've see Matthew's Kingsman

and Branagh's breathtaking Cinderella,

and fewer franchises are bigger or more hotly anticipated than Bond.

Although, of course, there is Star Wars.

Not bad for an octogenarian out in the sticks.