Elstree Calling

Roger Morris. Photo: © Elstree Studios Ltd.

Roger Morris Interview:

As I waited to first meet Roger Morris, the current managing director of Elstree Studios, back in February 2009, I wondered just how much interest or time he would have for me and my website! I need not have worried. From the moment Roger greeted me in the main administration area in the Andrew Mitchell Building at Elstree Studios he immediately put me at ease and made me feel welcome.

What pleased me from the first moment that Roger and I began to speak about Elstree Studios was that he is more than just a managing director, he, like me, has a real passion for the studios and its past, present and future. And, just as pleasing, was that he said made it known to me that he was more than aware of my enthused quest to document the ongoing work of Elstree Studios on my website, Elstree Calling.  

Soon I was ushered into Roger's impressive office. It is a welcoming space which boasts a great number of windows that offer a pleasing view to the entrance of the historic studios. I had previously been a visitor to this office when it was used by another member of staff, now it has a new purpose - it was now to be the hub of the studios where Roger would make important decisions that will enhance both the way the studios looks and operates.

We settled down, Roger behind his large desk that seems to dominate the room and me on the other side of the desk preparing my tape recorder so that the interview could begin.

Even before the tape was even rolling, the air was filled with our respective thoughts on and our mutual respect for the history of Elstree Studios and its continuing and obvious merits. These merits can be measured by the fact that as we chatted away preparations were going on in Stage 8 for Sir Michael Caine to 'shoot' his scenes for his then new film, Harry Brown, later in the week, and the team of ITV1's high-rating television series Dancing On Ice were preparing themselves for the following week's edition of the show. So if anyone reading this has any doubt about Elstree Studios' relevance in the twenty-first century - then think again! All around us were the obvious signs that Elstree does live up to its slogan: "London's No1. film & television studio".

With the tape now rolling, I began the interview. The following interview includes just some of the highlights of the conversation that we had during our long meeting together.

Paul: What inspired you to become involved in the film & television industry? And what route led you to becoming the new managing director of Elstree Studios?

Roger: I first became involved with television - this was university television - while I was at university and so that inspired my interest in the industry.

However, I became involved in journalism, initially, after I left university and then I later started working in the theatre as a press officer. But I was a very, very organised press officer so when the then managing director of the theatre in question left they looked around the room and there I was. So I ended up having the privilege of running the Hampstead Theatre Club when I was about 21.

The Hampstead Theatre Club was a West End try-out theatre so it used to have some fantastic productions staged there.

I was later offered the job of being the theatre manager of the Old Vic when it was run by the actor Laurence Olivier and a man called Frank Dunlop.

And then I was asked to help with a film which was being made by Jeff Perks, who was the director, called Fortunate Man. I worked as a his assistant producer and I really enjoyed the experience. I thought, well, this like the theatre but it's on location as well and, of course, I was working with the actors and everyone else. So this inspired me to go to the London Film School for two years, as I decided that I wanted to learn how to do it properly.

However, when I came out of film school I was told that the only real way to get into the industry was to work in a film lab such as the Rank Film Lab in Denham. But I thought, well, I didn't really go to film school to end up working as a lab technician, so I set up my own production company and I made lots and lots of music and pop promos for programmes like the Old Grey Whistle Test. In fact, Alan Bell, who now directs Last of the Summer Wine, was one of my contemporaries. He used to direct little shorts for Top of the Pops.

Then there was a period when the industry went away from filming pop promos on film and this was a problem as at the time I only shot on film! So I then got into making video for television and I made a sport's series for someone and one day I just happened to be at a facility when they said: "Could you run the facility for us, as you seem to know what you are doing". So I went on to do that and then I eventually got the very first contract for Channel 4. I also co-produced as well and I later helped to set up a music channel called the Power Station which was shown on BSB.

I then set up a video facility in Newman Street, London, and then following this I got in with another investor and we managed to buy Teddington Studios.

Paul: So you were part of Barnes Media Trust and purchased them from Pearson Television who, at the time, owned Thames Television?

Roger: Yes, and I ran the studios for about ten years. And during that time Pinewood Studios purchased them and I ran them for two years and I also became the director of television at both Pinewood/Shepperton and Teddington with a view to expanding the portfolio of the TV side of their operations.

Teddington Studios is a wonderful place, but Elstree is five times the size!

(Our conversation then moved on to talking about Teddington Studios, the former home of Thames Television, which are also of great interest to me. Finally, the subject of our conversation moved back to Roger's career.)

I then came here to Elstree after spending a year working for Vision Studios. And the last programme I worked on before taking up my new position here was The Krypton Factor for ITV1.

Part 2