Bristol Old Vic Theatre School appoints new Principal

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School today announces that Fiona Francombe has been appointed as the School’s new Principal/CEO. Currently Director of The Bottle Yard Studios, Francombe will take up her new position at the School ahead of the autumn term.

Francombe trained in technical theatre at Rose Bruford College, before embarking on a career in stage management, working at Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She moved into the TV industry in 1990 in London, joining the BBC’s Drama department as a runner.

Following her move to Bristol in 1993, Francombe worked both for the BBC and as a freelancer for a variety of television dramas as a location manager and producer, before going on to manage production liaison for South West Screen and Creative England. In response to the BBC’s 2009 decision to relocate production of dramas such as Casualty to Cardiff, she successfully lobbied Bristol City Council for support in retaining production industries in the city. In 2010 she went on to establish The Bottle Yard Studios in previously disused warehouses on a seven-acre site situated on the southern outskirts of Bristol. The Council-owned studios are now established as one of the leading production facilities in the country, contributing greatly to the millions generated by the media sector for the local economy each year.