J. Foster Construction Ltd: ‘We’ve built everything from Buckingham Palace to a Tardis from our Yorkshire warehouse’
It is on the outside at least a fairly standard warehouse with little to pique the interest of a passer-by.
But inside these non-descript premises lie a treasure trove of sets and props being hand-finished, ready to be used in some of the UK’s largest TV and film productions which are watched by millions of people.
The man behind it is John Foster who started his career at Yorkshire Television as a scenic carpenter, creating the sets for television programmes.
He later left to set up J Foster Construction Ltd to create sets, props, and backdrops for the TV and film industry nationwide.
He talks proudly of the big name productions his company is now involved with.
Speaking at Film Wakefield’s networking event at WX Exchange, Mr Foster said: “We have worked on many major TV series including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Jericho, DCI Banks, Good Omens 2, A Touch of Frost, Blue Murder, Cold Feet, and Victoria.”
Depending on the job, Mr Foster employs from five to 50 members of staff to help bring his creations to life and he relies heavily on local suppliers when possible.
He said: “Everything is built in-house from drawing to finish.”
Mr Foster said he always endeavours to use Yorkshire suppliers to boost trade locally from his warehouse in Featherstone.
Mr Foster added: “You name it, we’ve probably built it. We’re also passionate about recycling too.
“From a Tardis to body parts, spaceships, satellite dishes, it can be anything.”
Depending on his client’s deadline and requirements, projects can take anywhere from five days to a few weeks and time is usually of the essence.
Mr Foster said: “We were asked by a production company if we could recreate Buckingham Palace from the 1830s in a disused aircraft hangar in Yorkshire.
“With only a 12-week build time, the finished product was outstanding.”
Mr Foster established his company in 2003, but he has been working in TV and film for the past 30 years.
He said body parts and scare props are particularly popular out of all of the services he offers at the moment.
Mr Foster said: “We created the set for ScareCon 2025 and they were so impressed they invited us back this year.”
ScareCon is Europe's only trade show for the scare attraction and horror industry and it boasts big displays of exhibitors, alongside a comprehensive workshop and seminar programme.
Mr Foster’s company also offers a range of other services to the media and TV industry.
He added: “We also supply workshop facilities, on-site construction, construction managers, scenic carpenters, standby carpenters, scenic decorators, scenic artwork and fully equipped vehicles for construction.”