Three years ago, the future of Twickenham Studios looked uncertain, with developers planning to build homes on the site.

Soon after, a campaign was launched to help save the studios and had backing from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Colin Firth and Sir Paul McCartney.

In July 2012, the campaign was successful and filmlover Sunny Vohra put money into the site, heading up the new company in charge of the studios.

Today the site is bustling with people and looks as you would expect a Hollywood film studio to.

But this is not a studio in Tinseltown. This is a studio in St Margarets where some of the biggest films of the past few years have had their production and post-production completed.

Mandela - A Long Walk To Freedom, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Cuban Fury are just a few of the films that have used Twickenham Studios since its reprieve.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

A set being installed at Twickenham Studios earlier this week

A-listers including Nicole Kidman, Dame Helen Mirran, Ryan Reynolds and Katie Holmes are among those who have come to the borough, working just a stone's throw from St Magrarets station.

Maria Walker, chief operating officer at Twickenham Studios, said: "People like being here. They like coming here because from the street, you don’t really notice us and they like the fact they can go out and they aren’t bothered."

One of the most impressive elements at the studios is Theatre 1, also known as the Richard Attenborough Theatre.

As you walk into the theatre, you immediately notice a cinema-sized screen and desk full of dials which is just as wide as the screen.

It is in here the sound for films is mixed - making speech and music quieter or louder, depending on the desire of a film’s producers.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Theatre 1 at Twickenham Studios

Craig Irving, re-recording mixer, has worked at Twickenham Studios for 18 years and has seen some of the worst times and some of the best.

He said: "This is the busiest I have seen it for years. Now we have got all this investment, what we did is put this equipment in because it is the best and is the same as what they use in America and in Soho. Maria is very full on about finding new business so we are experiencing new areas as well.

"I live in St Margarets and I love the idea it is [the studios] here in St Margarets."

But what is the difference in the studios now to a mere three years ago?

Mr Irving said: "It couldn’t be any more different. When it closed down, the management all lived in the US and it was in decline. Now, there are parts of the buildings being refurbished I never thought I’d see. It is such a joy to see. When it is finished, it is going to be such a buzz."

Ms Walker said lots of work had gone into making the studios what it is today, including increasing staff numbers from 11 at the time of takeover to 37 today.

Every roof at the studios needs replacing, but priority was placed on purchasing new equipment to help the studio earn the title of the number one facility in London.

Ms Walker added: "If you think from where we started, it is only two-and-a-half years ago. We have attracted names that hadn’t been here for 30 years like Ridley Scott and people like Tim Burton who had never mixed here before.

"We have had a lot of returning business under the new management - we run it in a different way.

"Our philosophy is like a boutique hotel - be more friendly and because it is not a massive studio like Pinewood, people get to know the staff."

Among the highlights of the past few years, Ms Walker said were going to Los Angeles for a reception and having Exodus: Gods and Kings, the biggest budget movie of 2014, mixed at the studios.

She said: "It is lovely to see it work and lovely to see it busy. When you see the lorries moving around, it is a great feeling."

The next move for Twickenham Studios is to picture post production, meaning the whole film making process could soon take place at the site.

Ms Walker said: "By early summer, we will be able to do everything here. You could shoot pictures and edit, so you would arrive with a script and leave with a finished product."

Reflecting on the past two-and-a-half years, Ms Walker said: "I love it. On Saturday night I watched Cuban Fury which was the first thing filmed here when I took over. It is like, yep, we’re back up and running."