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The original Netflix hit Squid Game may be set in South Korea, but its new real-life spin-off is taking place a bit closer to home.

The streaming goliath is taking us all the way back to the dystopian competition, where contestant nervously cut out shapes in Dalgona candy.

But this time the competition will be all real and filmed on UK shores, with 456 players putting their hat in the ring in a bid to win a whopping $4.56 million.

The show’s synopsis reads: ‘As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.’

MailOnline takes a look at the huge blockbuster UK studios that were used for filming. 
Competition: The show will host 456 on the new reality TV competition based on the hit Netflix show - Squid Game (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

Competition: The show will host 456 on the new reality TV competition based on the hit Netflix show - Squid Game (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

High stakes: The show will host 456 on the new reality TV competition based on the hit Netflix show – Squid Game. The competitors will be battling out for a whopping $4.56 million (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

Cardington Studios, Bedford 

Close to home: Although the original is based in South Korea, part of the spin-off show was filmed in Cardington Studios in Bedford (pictured)

Close to home: Although the original is based in South Korea, part of the spin-off show was filmed in Cardington Studios in Bedford (pictured)

Close to home: Although the original is based in South Korea, part of the spin-off show was filmed in Cardington Studios in Bedford (pictured)

Stop! The infamous Red Light, Green Light was filmed at the container which previously housed zeppelins and huge aircrafts

Stop! The infamous Red Light, Green Light was filmed at the container which previously housed zeppelins and huge aircrafts

Stop! The infamous Red Light, Green Light was filmed at the container which previously housed zeppelins and huge aircrafts due to the vast amount of competitors

The game of Red Light, Green Light, is the first thing that comes to the minds of many when they think of the wildly popular K-Drama, Squid Game, and it was the only one from Squid Game: The Challenge to be filmed in Cardington Studios in Bedford.

The game was filmed in one of Europe’s biggest indoor spaces mainly because of the vast amount of space needed for all 456 players. 

Cardington Studios previously housed zepplins and airships during the 1920s and 1930s, according to Dexterto.

The two hangers are reportedly large enough to contain four sound stages each, measuring up to more than 100,000 square feet.

Netflix said: ‘The total area of play from starting line to finish line was approximately 100 meters x 40 meters (328 feet x 131 feet).’

Due to its huge size, Cardington Studios is an ideal place to film many blockbuster movies.

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According to Filming in England, among its star-studded roster of films created at the location include, Black Widow, Star Wars: The Return of Skywalker (Episode IX), Dumbo (2019), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Wharf Studios, Barking 

London calling: The majority of the reality competition show was filmed at Wharf Studios in Barking, east London (pictured)

London calling: The majority of the reality competition show was filmed at Wharf Studios in Barking, east London (pictured)

London calling: The majority of the reality competition show was filmed at Wharf Studios in Barking, east London (pictured)

Spot the difference: The show painstakingly assembled furniture and rooms that look identical to the original Squid Game  (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

Spot the difference: The show painstakingly assembled furniture and rooms that look identical to the original Squid Game  (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

Spot the difference: The show painstakingly assembled furniture and rooms that look identical to the original Squid Game  (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

Contestants from both the UK and the US spent most of their time filming the show at Wharf Studios in London.

Unrecognisable in the trailer as dreary, cold England, the creator’s built sets that eerily resembled the architecture from the original series.

But building items to scale was no easy task, even to just store the sheer amount of bunk beds required meant a great deal of space was needed.

So they opted to film for 16 days at Wharf Studios in Barking, which boasts a 10-acre campus with six sound stages.

According to the studio’s website, their facilities are ‘purpose-built and acoustically treated, with full supporting infrastructure; including production offices, workshops, drive-in access and ample parking.’

Detailing the production, Netflix said it ‘took up a total of six interconnected sound stages that enabled players to live inside a completely immersive world.’ 

‘Once players were inside, they never left unless they were eliminated. Players exited the dormitory and passed through the iconic stairwells of Squid Game.’

The confusing mazes and paths were all mapped out by production designer, Mathieu Weekes, who has also worked on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 

Squid Game: The Challenge will air on Netflix on Wednesday, November 22.

A maze: The confusing twist and turns throughout the set were designed by production designer, Mathieu Weekes (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

A maze: The confusing twist and turns throughout the set were designed by production designer, Mathieu Weekes (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)

A maze: The confusing twist and turns throughout the set were designed by production designer, Mathieu Weekes (pictured from Squid Game: The Challenge)