Im stood in the middle of the Guild of Students bar on the University of Birminghams Selly Oak campus - except I cant get a drink for love or money.
 The only pints likely to be found here now are bags of fake B rhesus positive, as since last October the bar has been transformed into the Mill Health Centre, which as any self-respecting daytime TV viewer will know is the focal point of BBC medical soap Doctors. Along with Dalziel and Pascoe and The Afternoon Play, the drama has moved from its former home at Pebble Mill to the new £2.1million Drama Village - the biggest TV drama base outside London - based at the universitys Archibald House, a 1920s Grade II listed building in an idyllic leafy surrounding, previously home to tutors and students, now replaced by actors, directors, script editors and engineers. Its such a fantastic place to work and its a very creative combination, and a great combination - the university and BBC, both not-for-profit organisations, says Will Trotter, Executive Producer of Drama Series in Birmingham. There are all sorts of people here we can tap into and hopefully they can also benefit from our presence. With the closure of Pebble Mill and space limited at BBC Birminghams new home at The Mailbox, the Drama Unit needed to find a new home for its team of around 130 staff - Archibald House preferred over two nearby options, Johnston House and Barrow Cadbury House, due to its greater flexibility in terms of walls and doors being moved and replaced - and no doubt its beautiful original features like wooden balustrades and arches and leaded windows which have been lovingly restored. While thousands have been spent on the move, Project Accountant Ashley Hawkes who gives me the tour points out costs have been carefully kept down by recycling equipment and furniture from Pebble Mill - from computers and TVs to tables, make-up chairs - even the costume departments industrial-size tumble dryers have made the short journey down the Bristol Road. The recycling hasnt been one-way, however; after removing air ducts from the university building, several were spotted by the props department, sprayed black and used as wreckage in a dramatic scene in Doctors to be seen next month. The ground floor of Archibald House is dominated by Doctors - the BAFTA-nominated series which produces some 185 shows a year; from the production office, make-up room (in what used to be the scullery), and green room to the dye room and secure storage for the racks of police and nurse uniforms (so they dont get into the wrong hands), the show appears to have slotted comfortably into its new home. Upstairs is home to en suite dressing rooms, the executive suite, offices for Dalziel and Pascoe and five editing suites - three of which are dedicated full-time to Doctors. As well as the 17,000 sqft of space at the university, the Drama Unit has another 14,000 sqft of industrial units in Stirchley, home to props, radio outside broadcast equipment and sets. This new campus site is no secluded, sterile environment; actors and crew will mix with students at the nearby café, while education programmes will mean visits to and from the site for students and staff alike. It feels like an environment where the BBC should be, says Will. Its not fusty and dusty, its like a mini Pinewood; you will be mixing with the students, but whats wrong with that? The whole point is for us to reflect real life - thats part of our raison dêtre, so meeting people and getting stories and real locations is what were about. This is a nice environment, you dont want to be in a warehouse in the back of beyond; youre dealing with people, not just the artists and off-screen staff but real people. | 
