Cochrane Theatre

The Cochrane Theatre stands in Holborn, London, a receiving and producing theatre that opened in 1963. It was named after Jeannetta Cochrane, a theatre practitioner known for costume and scenery design at the Central School of Art and Design. The building features a traditional proscenium arch, a fly tower with 41 counterweight flying bars, an orchestra pit, and a fully functioning paint frame. Talawa Theatre Company was based there from 1991 to 1995. The theatre closed in January 2012 when Central Saint Martins moved to a new site near King’s Cross. The theatre is worth the journey for its role in television production. Channel 4 filmed a TFI Friday special there in June 2015, followed by a series of ten live shows later that year. ITV’s late-night chat show The Nightly Show was also recorded at the Cochrane Theatre in 2017. Channel 5’s Do the Right Thing, hosted by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, was filmed there in 2019. The building’s original Riverside Studios location had been demolished, making the Cochrane Theatre a key filming venue. Visitors find a theatre with a traditional stage layout and technical features like the fly tower and paint frame. Though no longer open to the public, its exterior and stage structure remain visible. The building’s history is tied to both theatre practice and television production. Its future, however, involves demolition under current ownership. The Cochrane Theatre’s legacy endures through its contributions to both arts and broadcasting.