World's Biggest TV Show and a Field of Dreams in Banbridge

Game of Thrones is one of the biggest TV shows ever made so you would expect a tour based around one of its key studio locations to be world class. And it is. The challenge for Sam Harding, the relatively new managing director at the Game of Thrones Studio Tour, isn’t the product or experience. It’s location – nestled in the countryside near Banbridge in the middle of Northern Ireland. What his offer lacks in obvious logistics – though Belfast and Dublin are within easy reach - is made up for in authenticity: the experience is here because this £40 million attraction is built around the studios where key parts of the show were made over several years. The old linen mill that had fallen idle was first reborn as studios and then when filming stopped as a visitor attraction containing many original sets, props, costumes and artefacts from the show. The financials have been challenging but Sam is on a mission. Bringing years of international experience to bear he has an ambitious plan now underway: cutting costs, raising revenue and building those visitor numbers. Find out how on this week’s podcast.

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