Thanks for your response Jonathan. The walls sound very hollow, so I imagine it’s plywood of some sort.

Would be annoying to redo this as it’s relatively new

I honestly think you would be better off buying the correct size tv for the recess/media unit that is already built. You could sell your current tv or use it in another room. £2000 would buy you an amazing tv (you don't have to spend it all anyway) and if you move you can take it with you. Spending money on plasterboard, battens, a chippie and then someone to repaint/redecorate if you are not handy is just wasting money.

We would prefer bigger TV to that one we have now tbh, not smaller. We are not planning to move the house anytime soon so looking to make this change long term

The puzzle for me is why it’s so deep given that it’s likely a wooden frame and plasterboard so I’d advise you to start again.

Could you batten the recess and fix the tv to a bracket so that it sits on the outside of the recess? I love big tv's too. If you are handy then consider doing it yourself or a good chippie could find a way to fix a tv bracket to the recess perimeter. I am not sure but it looks as though the previous bracket was removed (if there was one) and only the power cables and sockets are visible? Would it bother you if your tv was proud of the recess? The depth may be to accomodate the fire insert.

Haven’t thought about battening the recess to be honest. It wouldn’t bother me to have a TV against the wall, like you would normally have it on the wall but I would need to figure out where to place the speakers. Also, I’ll be having this big wall structure for almost no reason apart from the fireplace. Would I be able to add shelves on the right side without them looking odd and out of place?
There was a TV bracket there, you are correct. The previous owners took it with them. Power cables are hanging out of the wall and then trailed towards the TV mount inside the wall.
I think you might be right re the depth to accommodate the fire insert. That is why is to deep.

Is it a real or a fake chimney? If it's fake I would consider building out the full width incorporating the alcove but making it shallow.

I would definitely put shelves in the alcove to the right. Maybe even simple storage cupboards below them too. I'm sure there is a way to "fill in" the opening but leave space for cable access. I will see if I can find any DIY advice or if you are not comfortable then a chippie should be able to change that for you relatively quickly and inexpensively. The issue is the fixings for the new bracket. They need to be solid but a couple of battens properly fixed should be enough. It's a much cheaper option than ripping it all out and starting again. If you can find out more about the fire insert then you will get an idea of the depth required and that might clear up the mystery of why the media wall/unit is so deep.

Hi Juliet,
Thank you for your response.
I don’t think there is a chimney there at all. It’s an inserted fireplace, connected to electricity. I can’t see any chimneys on the roof either.
I think this is what we are considering, building out the whole length although, if TV stays at the same place, it might be asymmetrical a bit. So need to think of that. The question is if we need to start over or can amend the existing part

Hi Isla,
We are certainly not that comfortable with DIY, I can paint the walls and hang the picture but that’s about that 😃.
Do you have any recommendations for a chippie that you think can amend this? I live in south Essex.

I think I’ve got a paperwork from the house, I’ll go through the papers and see the fireplace papers. I think it’s must be due to the width of the fireplace