Elstree Studios & David Bowie As Jareth The Goblin King

Elstree Studios was the home to the film Labyrinth. Its star was the late, lamented iconic talent David Bowie. He played the baddie in the film, Jareth the Goblin King.

Labyrinth was made at Elstree Studios, then called EMI Studios, in 1986. Steven Spielberg and his film Raiders Of The Lost Ark were sharing the studios site at the same time.

The film plot centres around a young girl, played by Jennifer Connelly, whose baby brother gets kidnapped by a gang of goblins whilst she is babysitting him. She is then confronted by the ruler of a mystical world, David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, who tells her that the only way she will get her brother back, is by finding her way through the Labyrinth to the castle at its centre.

The set of the Goblin City was built at Elstree Studios. The largest panoramic back-cloth ever made was required for this scene. Jim Henson's creatures were probably some of the finest created for a film and many of the technical innovations were groundbreaking for their time. While most filming was conducted at the Elstree Studios, a small amount of location shooting was carried out in other parts of England and the U.S. The film shoot lasted five months.

One of the producers of the film, Martin Baker, is still based at Elstree Studios and he recalls the time he worked with David Bowie. Martin recalls that the first project he and Bowie worked on together was at the Elstree ATV Studios.

David Bowie agreed to perform a duet with Bing Crosby on 'Peace on Earth'/'Little Drummer Boy' for the Christmas show in 1977. This is now an iconic piece of music history and sadly Bing Crosby's last performance; Bing died a month later.

Martin Baker worked as a Producer on Labyrinth with Jim Henson Directing and George Lucas Executive Producing. Martin said that David Bowie in Labyrinth "was a wonderful collaborator and a pleasure to work with and it is sad that he is no longer with us, such a great talent."

It is interesting to note that David Bowie's ex-wife Angie Bowie is currently in the Celebrity Big Brother House at Elstree Studios.

Roger Morris Managing Director of Elstree Studios, said: "Everyone that has worked with David Bowie loved working with him. I have always been a great fan of his and went to a number of his performances including Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon. He will be sorely missed."

The Elstree Project interviews about the film Labyrinth can be viewed here.

www.elstreestudios.co.uk

(JP)