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Film & TV Location
Destinations in the UK
By Richard Bevan
It has been over sixteen years since tourists from around the world made detours from London to Sheffield in south Yorkshire simply to see the locations where the global hit The Full Monty was made. But some regions still continue to attract film buffs and tourists years after a movie has been shot, although not quite on the same level as Salzburg which is invaded by up to 300,000 extra visitors a year simply because of The Sound of Music.
Here are some of the UK’ s top Film and TV destinations.
Highclere Castle( Downton Abbey) Riding high due to the phenomenal success of ITV’ s Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon( the 5 th Earl discovered Tutankhamen’ s tomb) holds personal memories as it is where I performed as an extra in a TV advert back in 1995. The stately pile has been used for countless adverts and films over the decades including blockbuster The Four Feathers( 2002) but it is the lavish ITV drama serial Downtown – awarded the Guinness World Record for most critically acclaimed drama- that has put it and on the map globally. Set in the rambling lush countryside of Berkshire the period series starring Dame Maggie Smith pretends to be in Yorkshire, when in fact it is at the heart of the affluent south east in England. All those broad Yorkshire accents have to be imported.
Alnwick Castle( Harry Potter) This 700 year old castle set near the dramatic Northumberland coastline( en route to Edinburgh) has played host to several Harry Potter movies playing the pivotal role of Hogwarts magic teaching school. Since the movie cameras started to roll back in 2000 the venue hasn’ t been shy of embracing its place in celluloid history by hosting Harry Potter tours and themed events. The gothic masterpiece which looks like a Hollywood film set is in fact home to the Duke of Northumberland, latest descendent of the Percy family and who’ s own famous family clan includes Harry‘ Hotspur’ Percy( 1364-1403) immortalised in Shakespeare’ s Henry IV. The castle has also played backdrop to movies Robin Hood Prince of Thieves( 1991) Elizabeth( 1998) and the Glenda Jackson Tudor costume drama Mary Queen of Scots( 1971)
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