The Sharp Project is a media and studio development in Newton Heath

Newton Heath

Newton Heath is an urban area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is east north east of Manchester city centre and has a population of 9,883....

, Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

. It aims to offer affordable office space for indie media companies whilst offering studio facilities for television dramas. The facility is located around 2 miles east of Manchester city centre

Manchester City Centre

Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...

 nearby the City of Manchester Stadium

City of Manchester Stadium

The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...

.

Manchester has the second-largest cluster of creative and media industries in Europe. The Project, along with MediaCityUK, will help fill the void left by the closure of the dated Granada Studios

The Manchester Studios

The Manchester Studios is a television studio on Quay Street in Manchester with the facility to broadcast live and film drama programmes. The studios have been home to Granada Television since its inception in 1954...

 and New Broadcasting House

New Broadcasting House

New Broadcasting House is the home of the BBC on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre. The studios house BBC Manchester, BBC North, BBC North West, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics department...

 in 2013.

Background

Manchester City Council purchased the former warehouse which was formerly owned by Sharp in 2006 for £6.1m The development of the facility was headed by Sue Woodward, former Managing Director at the successful Granada Television franchise.

Television productions

In February 2011, Tiger Aspect Productions

Tiger Aspect Productions

Tiger Aspect Productions is a British television production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Co-founded by producer Peter Bennett-Jones, its productions have included popular hits such as The Vicar of Dibley and Mr. Bean...

 selected The Sharp Project to film a new comedy series titled Mount Pleasant for Sky One

Sky One

Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...

.

In March 2011, Lime Pictures and Objective Productions

Objective Productions

OBJECTIVE PRODUCTIONS is a UK-based television production company, based in London and Glasgow and was founded by Andrew O'Connor and Michael Vine in 1991...

 planned to film a new comedy for Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 based on a group of students and their experiences at their first year at university.

See also

• List of television programmes set, produced or filmed in Manchester
• Media in Manchester
  Media in Manchester
  Media in Manchester like music and sport has been an integral part of Mancunian culture for many generations and has been described as the only other British city to rival to London in terms of television broadcasting....
  
  
• MediaCityUK