The BBC has revealed that production on its flagship shows EastEnders and Top Gear will restart in June.
Filming has effectively been on hold on all British TV since lockdown in the U.K. began in late March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, but BBC director of content Charlotte Moore has now set out a timeframe for the public broadcaster’s long-running soap opera and motoring series to begin again.
The return to work will include such precautions as strictly limited crews and others to adhere to all necessary government guidelines.
“We’ve been looking very carefully at how we can safely put some of our shows back into production, and I’m pleased to announce that we plan to begin filming again on both EastEnders and Top Gear by the end of next month,” Moore wrote in The Telegraph newspaper. “Castmembers will do their own hair and makeup. Social distancing measures will be in place.”
Moore also said that the broadcaster was “exploring ways to re-start filming on more dramas and other major BBC shows as soon as possible,” and that it wanted to “help fire up the engines of British TV production — safely and sensibly.”
The BBC limited its broadcast of EastEnders episodes during the pandemic so the series wasn’t forced off air altogether. It has since then also been shooting a new isolation-friendly adaptation of Alan Bennett’s monologue series Talking Heads.
The British Film Commission is currently working on a set of protocols for the return of film and high-end TV productions, although a formal date for its completion and unveiling hasn’t been set yet.
