At Finchley Studios, the Dialogue and Lounge sets each list studio-only hire at £109 per hour, professional recording with an engineer at £119 per hour, and recording with a teleprompter at £139 per hour. Your session total depends on the time booked, the package and any additional work agreed.
Those are rates for two specific Finchley sets, rather than a London-wide average or a price for a finished episode. When comparing a podcast studio in London, start with what you need to receive: recorded material for your own editor, or a completed programme ready for release.
What do Finchley's hourly rates cover?
The current booking packages list the following options for both the Dialogue Set and the Lounge Set.
| Package for Dialogue or Lounge | Advertised hourly rate | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Silver – Studio Only | £109 | Soundproof studio and ready-to-use lighting; your team controls the recording |
| Gold – Professional Recording | £119 | Multi-camera 4K recording, microphones and a senior engineer operating cameras, lighting and sound |
| Platinum – Executive Recording + Teleprompter | £139 | Gold's recording services plus an on-camera teleprompter for scripted delivery |
These figures are the displayed rates, not a final VAT-inclusive quotation. Confirm the applicable minimum duration and the total payable for your chosen booking before paying. Other Finchley studios have their own booking options; this table should not be used to price a warehouse production.
The Dialogue Set is designed for two to four people. The Lounge accommodates up to five people on camera. Count the host as well as the guests when choosing your room.
A worked three-hour recording budget
Suppose you are comparing a three-hour booking in the Dialogue Set. Multiplying the listed hourly rates gives:
| Dialogue package | Calculation | Calculated studio-session subtotal |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 3 × £109 | £327 |
| Gold | 3 × £119 | £357 |
| Platinum | 3 × £139 | £417 |
These are calculated examples, not final booking quotes or statements of minimum hire. They are simple multiples of the advertised rates, with no VAT adjustment made. Editing, additional services and overtime are not included. Confirm the tax treatment, availability and final price through the booking process.
In this example, Gold costs £30 more than Silver across the session. For a host without a technical crew, that difference is useful to weigh against the work of operating the recording yourself. Platinum adds a further £60 across three hours; its teleprompter is most relevant when you need to deliver prepared text to camera.
Recording and editing are separate budget decisions
Recording captures the conversation. Editing turns the recorded material into the episode you intend to publish: choosing takes, removing unwanted sections, balancing voices and assembling camera angles.
The Dialogue and Lounge recording cards do not list a finished episode edit or social clips as inclusions. Finchley offers editing packages, so agree that work separately rather than treating an hourly recording price as a complete production budget.
Describe the result you want when requesting an editing quote. For example: one full-length video episode, an audio version, captioned extracts and your supplied opening graphics. Ask what is included, how revisions work and when those edited files will be ready.
Check the charges that change the total
Overtime
Finchley's booking FAQ states that overtime is billed at time and a half. A longer conversation can therefore affect more than your schedule. Build in time for checks, pauses and wrap-up, and ask about additional time before the session. An overtime rate does not mean an extension will be available.
VAT
The booking FAQ says VAT is added to prices for services taking place in the Finchley Warehouse. Do not apply that wording to every room or assume that another room's advertised rate is a confirmed VAT-inclusive total. Ask for the tax treatment to be clear on your specific quote.
File delivery
Gold and Platinum for Dialogue and Lounge list cloud delivery within three days and a 30-day post-shoot backup. That recording-file handover is separate from an agreed editing deadline. If your launch depends on a particular delivery format or earlier handover, discuss it before booking.
Make your budget work for the show
Prepare the episode outline before arriving, brief your guests and decide which extras matter. A conversational interview may have little use for a teleprompter; a scripted business presentation may benefit from one. Recording several episodes in the same setup can spread preparation time across more content, provided the schedule allows for breaks and guest changes.
To price your session accurately, have your guest count, preferred set, recording format and editing requirements ready. Then choose your Finchley studio and package and confirm the full booking total.
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