Workshop forging ahead in world of TV and film props

John Dace's Warbla Forge, in Pudsey, has created props for a variety of film and TV series including creating speaker stands and barriers for crowd scenes filmed at Leeds United's Elland Road for the Oscar-tipped film The King's Speech.

The workshop, which specialises in making steel gates, is currently making clothing racks for the makers of Emmerdale.

It all began 15 years ago when the company received a call-out to help a woman repair a stove. It turned out she was working for Yorkshire TV and after carrying out the repairs the forge was asked if it was interested in doing work for TV.

The workshop has also done work on other projects. It created a pier with a collapsible side for Heartbeat spin-off The Royal and rebuilt a replica of the Marchioness for a 2006 TV film The Marchioness Disaster about the 1989 sinking of the pleasure boat the Marchioness in the River Thames, London, which claimed the lives of 51 people.

Mr Dace said: "They wanted to show the terrible moment when the Marchioness was hit by the dredger, called the Bowbelle. We had to recreate the bow and its anchor as well as a replica of the front of the Marchioness."

INTRICATE: A pier with a collapsible side specially built by the Warbla Forge in Pudsey for Heartbeat spin-off The Royal.pictures: Bruce rollinson