From EastEnders to Ed Sheeran: The Basildon industrial unit making movie magic

From the dramatic rescue scenes of the 35th anniversary episode of EastEnders to recreating the depths of an ocean, a film studio is bringing underwater action to life on screen. And it all takes place in an unassuming industrial unit in Basildon.

From the outside, the Underwater Studio looks like any other grey warehouse in the town's Burnt Mills industrial estate in Essex.

But inside, watery magic happens.

Whether it is an aircraft crashing into the Pacific - or a room filling with water in a pop music video - it can all be recreated here, in the depths of a giant water tank.

Moments after Ed Sheeran appeared to plunge into the sea in a car for the video of his hit Eyes Closed, the safety team at Underwater Studio takes over.

Diving supervisor Fred Woodcock calls the shots.

"In the water, they have to do what I ask them to do," Mr Woodcock says.

"Between us, if production says we want to do this - I put it into practice through my men."

The car in the Sheeran video was manoeuvred around using an electric winch system that frames the tank.

"We press a button, it goes up and down, we can turn it on its edge, we can put it on its nose or on its tail - it's a beautiful bit of kit," Mr Woodcock adds.

"That's what Ed was sitting in. He's in the car, it's about to go down - action - and the car starts to sink."

Pointy hammers are placed nearby to break glass if necessary and emergency diving kits are stowed down the back of seats.

"Ed was so laid back, it's unreal," Mr Woodcock adds.

"But he is what he is - a performer. We're very lucky - the majority of actors and actresses who come here all want to do the work themselves."

Ever since the facility moved here from Enfield 25 years ago it has been used for hundreds of stylised music videos, dramatic movie scenes, soap opera cliff-hangers, including the EastEnders 35th anniversary plunge in the River Thames, and promotional photo shoots.

The tank is 6m (19.6ft) deep and holds roughly 150,000 gallons of water.

It is also heated to a toasty 32C (90F).

The set was used to full capacity for the filming of the upcoming disaster movie No Way Up, when a large section of aircraft fuselage was manoeuvred into the water to replicate a crash in the Pacific Ocean.

A safety diver was appointed to every cast member on site.

"It was a nightmare. The aircraft was five inches smaller than the tank," Mr Woodcock says.

"The idea was to make this aircraft crash.

"It was on electric winches, it went from a flat basic positioning to a 45 degree angle and we had to leave the tail slightly out of the water. That was an awkward one."

Studio administrator, Glenn Whatley, says the safety of crews and artists will always be the priority.

"It's such a unique facility - a magical place but also a dangerous place, when you're in there you can't see your hand in front of your face," he says.

"We are so reliant on our safety divers and everyone who uses it must have the training and medicals.

"If we're not happy, filming won't go ahead."

This week, the team is filming for a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) water safety campaign for social media, called Float to Live.

Senior water safety manager, Tony Wafer, says the tank gives a realistic enactment of water safety without the unpredictability of filming in the actual sea.

"We're here mainly because it's a controlled environment and it allows us to accurately demonstrate the floating technique from all of our new research," he says.

"It's incredibly important to get it right."

"It's a really daunting place to be in a black tank of water," Mr Whatley adds.

"But it is a fabulous job.

"We meet so many different people, not just artists but production crew, riggers, lighting engineers, who are all at the top of their game and make everything look so effortless."

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