TVBEurope talks to the team at BBC Studioworks about the technology included in a new flyaway kit for BBC Twos Strictly Come Dancing spin-off, It Takes Two
By Jenny Priestley
Published: October 10, 2024 Updated: October 15, 2024
TVBEurope talks to the team at BBC Studioworks about the technology included in a new flyaway kit for BBC Two's Strictly Come Dancing spin-off, It Takes Two
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
First broadcast on BBC Two on 25th October 2004, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two is the daily companion show to the BBC's Saturday night juggernaut.
The show, currently hosted by Fleur East and Janette Manrara, gives fans updates on all the glamour and gossip from Strictly Come Dancing, with contestants, professional dancers, Strictly's judges and make-up and costume designers as well as celebrity fans dropping in each night.
It Takes Two hosts Janette Manrara and Fleur East It Takes Two is filmed at BBC Elstree's Studio M, a former music studio which previously played host to orchestras recording production soundtracks.
Later in life, Studio M was used for BBC Drama sets, until 2022 when it was modified to support the production of multicamera light entertainment, explains Alex Rudge, resource manager at BBC Studioworks, which provides all technical facilities and infrastructure for It Takes Two.
During this period, adjacent rooms were modified to house the various technical and production galleries required and scene dock doors were constructed to allow light entertainment sets to be brought into the studio.
The 2022 upgrade also included a ground-supported lighting truss system to accommodate traditional production lighting rigs and flown sets, which is used by It Takes Two.
BBC Studioworks works closely with the [the show's] set designer and lighting director to construct the set/lighting rig around early September, adds Rudge. During this same period, work starts on building the various technical areas (production and sound gallery, lighting control room, and central apparatus room). These are constructed from start to finish in around a week.
Due to the nature of It Takes Two and its transmission schedule, the studio is left set standing' between episodes, enabling the team to film anytime at short notice. The full It Takes Two de-rig at the end of the series (studio/galleries) takes less than 48 hours, which allows the studio to be repurposed for any number of uses, adds Rudge.
Flyaway kit For 2024, BBC Studioworks has created a new flyaway kit for It Takes Two, designed to work with up to ten cameras, but currently built for five Sony HDC 1700 cameras, with one locked-off wide shot, four manually operated and one on a Jib.
The It Takes Two flyaway kit built by BBC Studioworks The vision bit of the flyaway kit is based on an Evertz Nexx Router, explains Sebastian Gomez, supervisory studio engineer at BBC Studioworks. We are using the 5 RU frame populated with 3 I/O cards which give us 96 96 inputs and outputs of up to 3G-SDI signals. The router also acts as an audio router using the Nexx's MADI capabilities and creates eight multiviewers for the galleries.
The flyaway uses a Sony XVS7000 as vision mixer, which Gomez says might sound like overkill , but it allows the kit to be expanded if needed. What I'd say is the most interesting thing of this part of the build is the use of the BNCS control system, he adds. All the operators have more flexibility as they can easily route signals, assign tallies, name cameras quickly, and change the layout of the multiviewers at the touch of a button, all presented in simple touchscreen panels.
In terms of sound, the kit comprises a Studer Vista 5 desk with meter bridge and a flight-cased DSP core and I/O frames. Flexibility and operability were key elements of the design as well as its integration with both the vision and comms systems, states Andy Tapley, sound supervisor and technical manager.
The I/O includes seven MADIs for stage boxes, vision router, comms system and miscellaneous - for instance, a DAW multitrack. In addition, analogue, AES, ADAT and DANTE I/O and a tone generator are included in the system, all in a 20u flight case with built-in patch strips, adds Tapley.
The comms system is housed in a separate 20u flight case - designed around a Riedel Artist 128 frame, capable of connecting to 32 Riedel panels and offering 24 Bolero wireless belt packs. It integrates with the Studer frame by MADI, and includes analogue patchable I/O and VoIP connectivity to post production, as well as an IP codec for network, talk back to the BBC's MCR since we have now moved away from ISDN. Together, these systems are extremely powerful, feature-rich and quickly deployable with ready to go' templates.
As Studio M is not a permanent multicamera studio, BBC Studioworks had to find a flexible solution that would allow the team to deploy a temporary technical multicamera set-up, while retaining the same functionality and benefits of a permanent studio install. The galleries themselves look and feel the same as permanent galleries, with the added benefit of a modular design that allows us to customise the layout to whatever location or room we need to use, explains Rudge.
Inside the It Takes Two SCR BBC Studioworks provides full data wrangling and post production for Strictly Come Dancing, It Takes Two and the annual Strictly Christmas special. Once the Saturday night show launches each September, the edit operates 24/7 with content regularly generated on the day of transmission. Rushes are backed up to Object Matrix storage, ingested to Avid and delivered to EVS for playing to the studio, explains John Loughman, post production and record technical manager for BBC Studioworks. Producers have access to Avids via a s
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
11/06/2026
As podcast formats evolve in the streaming era, podcasting needs updated, transp...
11/06/2026
As Spotify's global RADAR program enters its sixth year in Italy, a new class of artists is stepping into the spotlight. Today, we're announcing the six...
11/06/2026
Pride Month is a time for celebration, reflection, and amplifying the diverse stories and perspectives from the LGBTQIA+ community that enrich our world. To hel...
11/06/2026
First in new line of muted string libraries
VSL have just announced the launch of two new string libraries that represent the first two instalments in a new...
11/06/2026
New colour option for 61-key Launchkey MK4
At Superbooth 2025, Novation introduced the Launchkey Mini 37 White and Launchkey 49 White, bringing an additiona...
11/06/2026
Larger, but still compact!
Arturia's popular compact MIDI controller keyboard is now available in a, well, slightly less compact version! The new MiniLa...
11/06/2026
Eurosatory 2026: Rohde & Schwarz shapes the new-generation battlefield Rohde & Schwarz unveils next generation SIGINT/EW and CUAS solutions on uncrewed system...
11/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz unveils NEMACS - Directional, ultra secure connectivity for the ...
11/06/2026
Thursday 11 June 2026
Daisy May Cooper rallies the nation ahead of ICC Women's T20 World CupTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy options and...
11/06/2026
Summer solstice shows from C il House and Late Date from 9pm on Saturday 20 Jun...
10/06/2026
Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands
If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...
10/06/2026
November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco
Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...
10/06/2026
Debut instrument free for limited time
deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...
10/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...
10/06/2026
MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...
10/06/2026
10 Jun 2026
VEON's Banglalink Brings Every World Cup 2026 Match to Football...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports
Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...
10/06/2026
Wuppertal June 10, 2026
Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...
09/06/2026
Last month, Spotify hosted PURE FLOWERS LIVE, a special event celebrating the re...
09/06/2026
Last month, RADAR U.K. artist Skye Newman took the stage in East London for a sp...
09/06/2026
Company to cease operating on 30 June 2026
Australian loudspeaker and amplifier manufacturer Wayne Jones Audio have announced that after much consideration,...
09/06/2026
Increases low-end weight and character
The latest plug-in release from Sheffield-based fedDSP aims to offer an all-in-one solution for users in search of mo...
09/06/2026
Introduces AI Studio Assistant, Moises Studio integration & more
Fender Studio have just announced the launch a significant update that brings an array of n...
09/06/2026
The BBC has found its Hercule Poirot.
After Deadline revealed last month that t...
09/06/2026
Filming to take place in Holmfirth
9th June 2026, London: U&GOLD is heading bac...
09/06/2026
X-Rite Pantone Launches Offset360 to Modernize Color Control Across Existing Pre...
09/06/2026
09 Jun 2026
VEON Appoints Serkan Ozturk as Chief of Staff & Strategy Officer Dubai and New York, June 9, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital oper...
09/06/2026
Tuesday 9 June 2026
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, a candid and unfiltered accou...
09/06/2026
Enni Continues to Rely on Arvato Systems - And Will Be Using AEP.EnerS4 Billing Solution
Arvato Systems to implement transformation project for SAP S/4HANA Ut...
09/06/2026
These special programmes will highlight RT 's connection with the Irish diaspora
This year, RT is marking 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland with...
08/06/2026
At Spotify, our commitment to the LGBTQIA community is year-round. Through GLOW, our global music program, we celebrate and amplify the contributions of queer ...
08/06/2026
Get Hands-on With Keyboard & Synth Brands
GearExpo UK wouldn't be complete without some synth action, and we've got some of the industry's most ...
08/06/2026
50 popular in-ear monitoring system profiles added
The latest update for IK Multimedia's headphone-correction system has just arrived, and introduces ca...
08/06/2026
Manny Marroquin signature cans upgraded with SLAM Technology
The flagship model in Audeze's Manny Marroquin Signature Series has just been treated to an...
08/06/2026
Air domain supremacy redefined - New counter UAS, space solutions and directiona...
08/06/2026
he BBC and BritBox have announced that Edward Bluemel (We Might Regret This, My ...
08/06/2026
Plus, 20% off TVs ahead of kick-offMonday 8 June 2026
Sky introduces Real Time...
08/06/2026
FOX Secures Live NFL Game Package in Mexico Starting in Fall 2026 Agreement Features Thursday Night Football, Sunday Games Package, Thanksgiving Day Games, al...
08/06/2026
FOX One, FOX Sports and Indeed Name Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto as FOX One C...
08/06/2026
Meet us on the show floor
Stand #286310 Discover Nara, the media management tool used by major facilities including Harbor and Molinare.
Nara v2 introduces re...
08/06/2026
L'art de l'Image dans Reflet dans un diamant mort' Une conversation avec le directeur de la photographie Manuel Dacosse, SBC et l' talonneur Pe...
08/06/2026
Embracing today's modern media workflows: FilmLight presents Nara 2.0, with FilmLight API Designed to support the growing demands of today's production ...
TVBEurope talks to the team at BBC Studioworks about the technology included in a new flyaway kit for BBC Twos Strictly Come Dancing spin-off, It Takes Two
