Everything About Tuas TV World, Which is Set to be Demolished in 2024

2023-06-19 , 11:09 am

While kids these days probably wouldn’t associate Hollywood with Singapore in any way, the true OGs would know where the most Hollywood-esque area in Singapore was.

At Tuas.

Yup, right smack between what we now know as the Tuas Checkpoint Complex and the new Integrated Train Testing Centre from the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which is slated to open in 2024.

Tuas TV World, which was built by the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) between 1990 and 1992, spanned 6.6ha and consisted of eight different sets.

And for those obsessed with local television back in the day, you might recall that it cost $35 million to build back then.

However, while Tuas TV World was once known as the most impressive and largest outdoor television studio in the region, it won’t be the case for much longer.

In fact, it was recently announced that the entirety of Tuas TV World would be gone in the next year or so, with plans for it to be demolished by the second quarter of next year.

More About the History of Tuas TV World

For those who still remember how the outdoor television studio looked like, five of the eight sets replicated scenes of Singapore from the past, while three were sets of China.

It even had its very own ‘Singapore River’, which was a 215m-long water feature that was equipped with water pumps to create waves in the water.

And for the unaware, Tuas TV World was constructed back then by SBC to create a space that was 40 times larger than the “early Singapore” set that was originally located at Caldecott Hill.

According to SBC representatives at the time, this would allow SBC to film more English, Malay and Indian dramas since the set at Caldecott was more suited for Chinese dramas.

Those who religiously watched local television dramas back then would recall seeing the railway station and rows of shophouses and other uniquely Singaporean-style settings in hit television series like Strange Encounters 3, Tofu Street, The Price Of Peace, Wok Of Life and Hainan Kopi Tales.

Was Ultimately Too Costly to Maintain the Set After Ten Years

However, despite the realistic backdrops that Tuas TV World was able to provide for local dramas, it ultimately became too costly to maintain the set after around ten years.

SBC, which most may know today as Mediacorp, saw a drop in the number of period dramas being filmed and produced after the 1990s.

It also struggled to keep up with the cost of maintaining the large outdoor studio.

Hence, buildings within Tuas TV World were gradually torn down over the years.

As of now, only about 15 of the original 100 buildings are still there today.

Local actor Chew Chor Meng also told The New Paper over a decade ago in 2012 that demolition works had already begun at that time.

Became Police Training Site in 2001

But it seems like despite the reduction in the use of Tuas TV World’s sets for filming over the years, they still managed to serve another purpose in the early 2000s.

When speaking to The Straits Times last Friday (16 June), a Singapore Police Force (SPF) spokesperson revealed that the Special Operations Command (SOC) leased the area in December 2001.

It then transformed the sets into a temporary facility called Tuas Training Village, which was used until 2009 by multiple police units to carry out their training.

The activities conducted at the site included scenario-based exercises, forensic investigations, public order incidents and more.

In 2009, the SPF stopped using the area and started preparing it as it had to be returned to the state.

One Last Return to Tuas TV World in 2012

However, despite the SPF’s preparations to return the premises to the state, Mediacorp managed to film one last drama within the area.

For those who used to be glued to the television screens whenever local dramas started playing, you might know that Mediacorp made one last return to Tuas TV World in 2012 to film Joys of Life, a Channel 8 drama that celebrated the channel’s 30th anniversary.

Such an act of returning to Tuas TV World was seen as significant to those in the local entertainment industry, especially since the facility once served as a vital element that contributed to local television’s success in the past.

Such a sentiment was raised by veteran producer Winnie Wong in her interview with The Straits Times.

However, Ms Wong, who retired just two years ago after working for over 40 years in Singapore television, acknowledged that times have changed.

In particular, local television dramas usually do not employ the use of sets that depict Singapore in the mid-1900s, which were the type of sets that Tuas TV World housed.

As such, she agreed that maintenance costs to keep Tuas TV World around would be high and ‘onerous’ in this case.

Future Use for TV World’s Land Still Unconfirmed

As of now, there is no news regarding what the land that Tuas TV World currently occupies will be used for in the future.

Currently, Tuas TV World (or what’s left of it) is considered a reserve site, which basically means that its specific use for the future has not been confirmed yet.

However, it was reported that the outdoor studio will be completely demolished by the second quarter of 2024 after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) selects a contractor to take on the job.

Thereafter, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will regain control of the land.

Other Iconic Local Landmarks to be Demolished As Well

And for those of you deep in your ‘feels’ and nostalgia, Tuas TV World isn’t the only prominent landmark that will be demolished in the near future.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Singapore Turf Club (STC) would be torn down and returned to the government by 2027.

STC’s last race will take place on 5 October next year.