Why film and TV crews love to descend on Cheshire

In fact, it’s also your setting for a nostalgic story about a family setting up a world-famous zoo, a terrifying sci-fi action feature about an alien invasion, or a melodramatic soap opera wedding between two people who should probably never say ‘I do’.

And that’s before you even consider its position is as a backdrop for telling the tale of an urban street gang’s rise to become a notorious criminal empire.

Whether it’s the grit and violence of Peaky Blinders, the dystopian doom of War of the Worlds, or something a little more kitchen sink like Coronation Street, Cheshire has become a top choice when filmmakers and TV producers have been looking for stunning locations for their programmes and movies.

Home to companies such as Tatton Locations and Studios, and on the doorstep of renowned city concerns like RED Production Company, Lime Pictures and, of course, Media City UK, Cheshire has an abundance of stately homes, rolling countryside, quaint villages and urban settings that provide incredible cinematic backdrops.

Peaky Blinders being filmed at Arley Hall

For Jonny Shelton, production liaison manager (North West and Midlands) at Creative England, it’s this diversity of settings that make Cheshire a key part of the region’s growing reputation as a fantastic place to shoot outside of London.

Creative England’s production services team is funded by the British Film Industry to provide comprehensive support to the high-end TV dramas and features that shoot across England, outside of London.

“As the north west continues to boom as a hub for such productions, the counties within have all felt the benefits of productions visiting in recent years, with Cheshire being no exception,” said Jonny.

“Our regional liaison team works closely with Cheshire’s local authorities and destination management organisations to ensure they receive opportunities to profile locations and services to industry, and in between the production and local authorities to ensure planned shoots in the county go as smoothly as possible.

“Due to the county’s diverse locations and coupled with the relationship between Creative England and these stakeholders, the industry has continued to return and shoot in Cheshire as they know they will receive a wide-ranging service that allows them to capture their vision.”

A still from the Tolkien biopic

Last year, Tatton Locations and Studios contributed to Fox Searchlight realising its particular vision of J.R.R Tolkien’s life story and helped put the county on the map by transforming Tatton Estates into a scene from the Battle of the Somme for the biopic Tolkien starring BAFTA nominated actor, Nicolas Hoult.

The studios, based in Altrincham, hosted a cast of 150 First World War soldiers, 30 cavalry horses and a 300-strong crew, which included an SFX team to manage activity such as night shooting and also construction experts, who spent three months building the battlefield.

Inside the studio while filming the Tolkien biopic

Interior shots were also filmed using the studios’ green screen after it was picked by the producers at Fox Searchlight as one of the key locations for filming.

“Having such a high-profile production on-site was a truly fantastic experience and helped cement our reputation as Manchester and Liverpool’s backlot,” said Annette McDonald, head of TV and film at Tatton Locations.

“Thanks to our countryside setting, there’s an enormous opportunity for filmmakers to think big and see us as a major player when looking at options for locations and studios.”

It’s not the only time a production linked to the famous fantasy author was considered for filming in the local area.

According to Cheshire West and Chester Council, which has been working with Creative England on promoting the county to filmmakers since 2011, one of the most surprising requests it ever received was from a location manager considering areas for Lord of the Rings.

While Peter Jackson’s team eventually decided to pass on this particular shire for one in New Zealand, it’s not stopped a stream of production companies from setting up their lights and cameras and calling ‘action’ to a roll call of acting greats.

Over the years, Arley Hall and Gardens’ stately home has been graced by the presence of some spectacular actors. The most recently obvious and famous being Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy et al in the enduring BBC sensation Peaky Blinders.

The venue has also been a long-term friend of the producers of Coronation Street, providing the stage for at least four funerals, including those of Deirdre Barlow and Kylie Platt, plus the dramatic wedding of Steve and Karen McDonald.

And who could forget Our Zoo? Not only did the grand hall host a camel in the hall – which did have its own ‘litter tray’ – it also doubled up as Lady Katherine’s house where an auction was taking place featuring an iguana, penguins, a monkey and a python.

On the set of Our Zoo which was filmed at Arley Hall and in Great Budworth

Our Zoo also shared a location with another BBC epic – The War of the Worlds. Starring Eleanor Tomlinson, Rafe Spall and Robert Carlisle, the production team at Mammoth Screen crash-landed and took over the entire village for five weeks, transforming the picturesque rural area into an Edwardian setting. The George and Dragon provided the crew with a cosy central hub and a heightened sense of community with the locals – what better way to connect than over a pint and a packet of pork scratchings?

Executive producer, Preethi Mavahalli said: “We have some really ambitious set pieces in the show, and there are always challenges to shooting in period locations, so turning a quaint Cheshire village upside down was a major operation – but we’re really proud of the results.”

Over the past decade, Cheshire West and Chester (CWaC) Council has worked with Creative England to promote the multitude of locations across the borough. Along with Cheshire East, Warrington Borough, and Halton Councils, CWaC signed the Production Liaison Charter in 2011, a recognised, UK-wide industry standard which communicates support for filming and the benefits it brings to the local economy. This led to Cheshire becoming the first county in the north west to be officially recognised as ‘filming friendly’.

“The Council welcomes on average fifty television and film crews a year that range from small documentaries to film and television dramas,” explained David Sejrup, communications lead at CWaC.

“In addition, up to 100 location enquiries are received per year. That includes major film productions looking for specific features - rural landscapes, quarries, mansions, industrial backdrops.

“One of the most surprising requests was from a location manager considering areas for Lord of the Rings (Chester lost out to New Zealand). Another for pub quiz fans is the Black Prince, a Bollywood film from 2015 that opens with shots filmed in Chester Cathedral.”

And only last month Chester East Council signed the Filming in England charter, meaning even more drama and film production could be taking place across the county.

Cllr Nick Mannion, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for environment and regeneration, said: “The borough offers some of the most outstanding countryside locations and historic properties and settings for the production of quality drama.

“From Sherlock Holmes to Peaky Blinders, Cheshire East is already a familiar and popular production destination for the industry and we aim to build on our reputation by signing up to this national charter and partnership arrangement with Creative England."