BRITAIN’S newest film studio has secured its first tenant – a glossy, big-budget TV drama series which is expected to have global appeal.

The ambitious eight-part ITV show Victoria will be the first production to be shot at the Yorkshire Studios – the former RAF base at Church Fenton between York and Leeds.

The cameras will start rolling later this month when a team from Mammoth Screen – a production company whose previous hits include the recent Poldark – move onto the site and the shoot is expected to last at least seven months.

The series will tell the story of the early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18, through to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.

It will star the fast-rising Jenna Coleman, whose credits include Dr Who, Death Comes to Pemberley and the superhero flick Captain America: The First Avenger.

The new studio complex has been created by Screen Yorkshire after it secured an exclusive deal in June with the property’s owners, Makin Enterprises. Since that agreement was reached the site has been re-purposed for film and TV use.

It comprises three aircraft hangars – each of more than 30,000 sq ft – together with runways and hundreds of acres of backlot, making it ideal for productions big and small.

Screen Yorkshire chief executive Sally Joynson said: “After months of hard work, we’re thrilled to open the doors of the Yorkshire Studios to Mammoth Screen for this landmark ITV drama.

“As long term collaborators on some of Yorkshire’s most successful TV productions, we couldn’t have hoped for a better partner with whom to embark on this exciting new journey.

“Featuring an outstanding cast and creative team, Victoria already has all the hallmarks of great British TV at its very best.”

Mammoth Screen's managing director Damien Timmer added: “The Yorkshire Studios give us all the space we need for our massively ambitious studio build and close to the many fantastic locations which we’ll need to capture the grandeur and opulence that the series demands.”

Screen Yorkshire is now working to bring other major productions to the new studio complex with the additional support of the British Film Council and Creative England.