What is Secret Studio?

Secret Studio is an exciting retro-themed mystery escape game! 'I don't know what on earth that means', we hear you say. Well here's what happens…

You and your friends/family are locked inside the headquarters of 'Secret Studio Films', a (fictional) down-at-heel schlock movie production office that hasn't seen a lick of paint since 1979.

You have an hour to solve the puzzles inside the room and unlock the mystery to escape! You'll start by searching, seeing what you can find and how things fit together to make sense.

The retro technology will delight you along the way - a journey back in time for the younger players ('how did people used to manage in the old days?!') and a trip down memory lane for Mum and Dad (marvel at your teen's attempts at the dial phone!) You work together as a team to try and beat the clock.

There are also spooky scary bits and a few surprises in store… we don't want to say much about these because that would ruin the surprise thing but we can accommodate the jumpy ones among you - see 'Who can do it?'

You'll have fun! We can (practically) guarantee it! And that's all we can really tell you for now. That's why it's called SECRET Studio…

What is The Emerald Phantom?

The Emerald Phantom is Secret Studio's new game! You'll step into our star's dressing room to uncover just what has been going on during our latest film shoot. You'll have an hour to sneak behind the scenes and work out what - or who - the Emerald Phantom really is.

What does it cost?

Secret Studio costs £38 per person, but remember to check out our OFFERS page.

You can pay by Credit or Debit card.

You need at least 3 people to play the game.

Who can do it?

Most people can experience Secret Studio.

Children aged fourteen or over are welcome. We do ask that each team has at least one person over sixteen.

All team members need to be able to understand and read English.

There is the odd surprise! Let us know when you arrive if you really don't like shocks, and we'll tailor the experience.

Also tell us if you're claustrophobic; we should be able to make it work for you.

There is no excessively physical activity.

To solve the mysteries at least one team member needs reasonably good eyesight.

Although we play music and effects, audio is not essential to the experience.

We do have wheelchair access, but are only able to accommodate 1-2 wheelchair users at a time. We're very embarrassed about this.

Is it good for team building and corporate events?

Our immersive adventures, Secret Studio and Escape From The Golden Hinde are ideal for corporate parties, corporate team building and corporate events. These experiences provide an excellent opportunity for your people to connect and interact meaningfully in order to solve problems - skills which can then be transferred back into their work.

Your team can build relationships, collaborative effectively, and feel a sense of achievement in a fun, playful way.

At Secret Studio our unique game is duplicated in four rooms, so we can host 27 people all sharing the same experience at the same time. It's even possible to appraise team and individual performances by sitting with the GamesMaster and watching it all unfold on our spycams. This can offer an innovative alternative to traditional assessment centres.

If competitiveness is in your company culture, then we can arrange for the teams to race each other, with as much (or as little) of the competitive element being foregrounded by our GamesMasters as you wish.

You can read a blow by blow account from one of our corporate clients in our Blog.

Alongside the escape game itself, we can also turn the entire venue over to you, providing a charming party space including catering and entertainment. For more details see Can we Party?

Here's what some of our corporate clients say:

"An experience not to be missed!"
"We've had a wonderful experience and so much fun during our company day out at Secret Studio. From the excellent actors, friendly staff, to the rooms decor, the scenario, all the little details they have thought of... the fun little activity turned into a memorable day! A lot of us had never done an escape room game and we loved it. As a small company, being able to book all 3 rooms and turn it into a racing challenge was such a great touch. Highly recommended! we can't wait to try another one of their escape rooms."

"Christmas work-do activity"
"Group of colleagues, varying ages all really enjoyed this immersive escape room. More difficult than others we'd done! Would definitely recommend this one, very well organised."
"Thank you so much to you and your team for yesterday. We had a great time and everyone has been sending such positive messages about the Escape Rooms. It is definitely up there as one of our most successful team activities."

Can we party?

Corporate parties, stag/hen dos and special birthdays can end up feeling a bit 'generic'; crammed in to bland spaces, not given enough time for fun, and a huge list of 'extras' as your reward.

At Secret Studio we turn the entire venue and staff over to you for the entire evening. Alongside the escape game you get an atmospheric and charming party space with flexible catering.

We can also provide DJ, close up magic and stand-up comedy.

We even use the fact that we don't have a license to save you money. We can arrange with our local wine merchant for delivery, serving, and return of any leftover drink. All you need to do is pay their bill. We don't charge any corkage.

If a licensed venue is what you are after, then please do check out our other adventure: Escape From The Golden Hinde.

When the team are not running immersive adventures, we are also a corporate communications company (www.replayfilms.co.uk) so we have substantial event-management experience. This enables us to tailor your Christmas or New Year party in a way that is completely right for you.

Use the contact form to get in touch for more information about planning your event at Secret Studio.

How many can play & how many rooms?

Any group of between 3 and 27 people can play at the same time.

We have 4 rooms all with the same game. Each room is designed for up to 6 players (3 rooms can fit 7 at a squeeze). So larger groups split into teams and race!

Don't worry, nobody else will be in your room(s), so you won't be playing with strangers.

If there's more than 27 of you, you can play consecutively. We'll keep track of your times so it's still a fair race! AND we can arrange for the first group to sit with the GamesMaster and watch on spycam while the second group plays. This is a great laugh. But you will need to think of something for your second group to be doing while the first group plays - they can't watch because it will spoil the surprise!

To book for more than 27 players, let us know on the contact form.

How do I get there?

Secret Studio's exact location is a highly guarded secret. But here's a clue or two…

We're on Wentworth Street, London, E1 7SA, a stone's throw from Brick Lane.

The studio is a few minutes walk from Aldgate East Underground station and on the 15, 25, 67, 115, 135, 205 and 254 bus routes.

Don't worry, once you've booked we'll give you a fighting chance of finding us.

How long will it last?

The Secret Studio experience will last around 90 minutes, including a short briefing beforehand, and a chat about how it went afterwards.

You'll have 60 minutes to solve the Studio's mysteries and escape. It's not easy. Less than 50 percent of people escape in the time. If you're close and we're feeling generous, we might give you a few extra minutes. Otherwise, you'll just have to come back (we're sure you'll want to). We'll give you a bit of a discount second time round, but be warned: we mix things up a bit when you return.

Can I change or cancel my booking?

You can add extra people, but there's a maximum of six per room (seven with a bit of a squeeze). If you're not sure how many rooms you've booked, just check your booking confirmation.

To add people, just reply to your booking confirmation telling us how many you would like to add.

This is a live experience, so cancellation isn't possible. But we want to be as flexible as we can. If you want to change your booking, let us know by replying to your booking confirmation. We'll try our best to find another customer to take your game. The more notice we have, the greater the chances! We need to charge £10 for each change, to cover our admin costs. Sorry about that.

Will anyone else be in the room?

No. Only your group will be in the room(s). So you will just be playing with yourselves, so to speak.

Is it scary?

Secret Studio is haunted, so there are a few surprises. If you really don't like shocks, ask your GamesMaster for a Joker Card when you arrive. This will allow you to avoid the scary bits. But the Joker Card contains spoilers, so only ask for it if you really are apprehensive.

I've already played, can I come back?

Returning players who bring friends come for free! There just need to be 3 or more paying players for each free one. Just tell us on the booking form how many returning players there are.

SPOILER ALERT! Don't read any further if you haven't visited Secret Studio, otherwise you will see things that might spoil some of the fun.

Although the story and structure of the game is the same as when you played, we shake things up a bit for returning players and change some of the clues and puzzles. The only thing to bear in mind is the importance of not giving spoilers to the rest of your group during the bits that you are familiar with.

If you fancy, you can also become a central part of the game's grand finale, adding to the surprise element for your friends. We need to do a bit of secret planning with you to enable this, so best to book at least a week in advance if you do want to be part of the finale.

If you don't want to play again, then you can sit outside with the GamesMaster and watch your friends go through on a spycam. You can also suggest personalised clues and jokes to the GamesMaster. This is a great laugh. If you want to go for this option, just book for the people who will actually be playing and send us an email after you've booked to say some people want to watch. We'll then warn the GamesMaster that you are planning to do this.

How accessible is it?

We do have wheelchair access, but are only able to accommodate 1-2 wheelchair users at a time. We're very embarrassed about this.

There is no excessively physical activity.

To solve the mysteries at least one team member needs reasonably good eyesight.

Although we play music and effects, audio is not essential to the experience.

There is the odd surprise! Let us know when you arrive if you really don't like shocks, and we'll tailor the experience.

Tell us if you're claustrophobic; we should be able to make it work for you.

Do you have any other games?

Yes we do! ESCAPE FROM THE GOLDEN HINDE is a submersive theatrical adventure on board a real pirate ship. We'd love it if you visited us there, and you can get 15% off (see below for details).

The Golden Hinde is a perfect reconstruction of the ship Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world in the 1570s.

The reconstructed ship also sailed around the world in the 1970s.

It is haunted by ghosts from both journeys. So, the ship holds an unhappy mix of spirits - like a dodgy Rum Mojito. (Which, legend has it, was invented by Drake.)

You will be locked on the ship with these ghosts. You will have 60 minutes to escape.

You'll also learn some history. But don't let that stop you.

Go to escapeintime.co.uk/goldenhinde to book.

When you book Secret Studio, we'll send you a Secret Code that will give you a discount (currently 15%) at Escape From The Golden Hinde, provided you book that game within a month. Unfortunately this can't be combined with any other offer or discount - sorry about that!

Do you do gift vouchers?

We certainly do.

Just send us an email telling us how many players, the name of the recipient and the address you'd like us to send it to (or if it's urgent, we can email you a PDF).

It also helps if you can tell us what the gift is for, so we can personalise the card a bit.

We'll then send you an invoice by email. You can pay this by credit card or PayPal account. Then we'll send a shiny gift-voucher card.

The cost is simply our normal price of £38 per person.

Oh and by the way, the voucher will have no expiry date; we know how annoying it is to finally get round to using that gift, only to discover it ran out last week!