The Filming Locations Putting the North East on the Map
The North East is growing ever more popular as a filming location, and the knock-on impact on tourism is noticeable as film fans seek out their favourite places
Transaction
This brand-new sitcom from award-winning comedian Jordan Gray centres around Liv, a trasngender supermarket worker who realises she’s unsackable due to being a diversity hire, so decides to cause havoc. Her boss is played by Hot Fuzz’s Nick Frost, so we know this is going to be good. Filming began in Hartlepool last November.
Release date to be announced.
The Red King
This British crime drama starring Anjli Mohindra and Jill Halfpenny may be set on a fictitious Welsh island, but it was actually filmed in Northumberland, specifically Craster Harbour and village, Embleton, and Bamburgh. Anjli plays Grace, a detective sergeant sent from Newcastle to the island of St Jory to investigate the murder of a teenage boy. The island is home to a pagan cult, and the series has been heavily compared to foundational folk horror The Wicker Man.
Available to stream on NOW.
Night and Day
A film adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel of the same name, Night and Day is a comedy about a female astronomer trying to avoid love and marriage to challenge the patriarchal attitudes of the early 20th century. The film has a star-studded ensemble cast, including Haley Bennett, Lily Allen, Timothy Spall, Jack Whitehall, Jennifer Saunders and Sally Phillips. Filming took place across the region, with the Lit & Phil and The Common Room in Newcastle featuring, as well as Beamish Museum, Ryhope Engines Museum and Tanfield Railway. You can go behind the scenes of this soon-to-be-released film, with the BAFTA-nominated director who fought for it to be filmed here, at livingnorh.com.
Release date to be announced.
28 Years Later
The highly-anticipated sequel to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s post-apocalyptic zombie thriller, 28 Years Later takes place almost three decades after the rage virus from the first film, 28 Days Later, escaped from a lab and infected the UK population. The new film stars Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack O’Connell, and most of the filming took place on Holy Island off the Northumberland coast, as well as in Hexham, Bellingham, Kielder Forest, Rothbury, Newcastle and Waskerley.
In cinemas from 20th June.
I Fought the Law
Upcoming ITV crime drama I Fought the Law stars national treasure Sheridan Smith, and tells the heartbreaking true story of Ann Ming. Ann fought to overturn the British double jeopardy law which prevented people being tried twice for the same offence to get justice for her daughter Julie, who was murdered in 1989. The real-life events took place in Billingham, and filming was across the North East, taking in Middlesbrough, Saltburn, Shiremoor, RSPB Saltholme and Newcastle’s Quayside.
Release date to be announced.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
The fifth and final film in the much-loved Indiana Jones series, Dial of Destiny sees the intrepid archeologist (played by Harrison Ford) team up with his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to search for an artefact to bring them back to 1969 from 212 BC. The film’s opening scenes were filmed at Bamburgh Castle, with the famous castle doubling for war-torn Germany.
Available to stream on Disney+.
Jackdaw
Set over the course of a single night, action thriller Jackdaw stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a former motocross champion and army veteran who accepts a dangerous job retrieving a package. The film, also starring Jenna Coleman and This Is England’s Thomas Turgoose, is set in Hartlepool and was filmed across the town and around the Tees Valley, including in Redcar, Nunthorpe, Seal Sands and even in the North Sea itself. Go behind the scenes with Northern writer-director Jamie Childs at livingnorth.com.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
Based on the popular game, this fantasy film features a cast of Hollywood stars including Chris Pine, Hugh Grant and Michelle Rodriguez. The film sees a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic. Filming took place at Alnwick Castle, and keen-eyed viewers may be able to spot the famous Lion Arch and Lion’s Bridge.
Available to stream on Paramount+.
The Feud
Channel 5’s new domestic thriller stars Gateshead’s own Jill Halfpenny as one half of a married couple whose plans to build a kitchen extension cause relations with their neighbours to darkly sour. Also starring Gavin & Stacey and EastEnders legend Larry Lamb, filming took place in Newcastle and Jarrow, with three houses in Benton used for the homes featured.
Available to stream on 5.
The Dumping Ground
Loosely based on the book series by Jacqueline Wilson (and acting as a sequel to The Story of Tracy Beaker), BBC series The Dumping Ground has been filming in Hexham for more than 12 years, with the production now based in the town. This year it returned for its 13th season and filming locations for the new series include Hexham Abbey, Hexham Bowling Alley and Tyne Green park.
Available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Smoggie Queens
This BBC comedy about drag queens is set in Teesside, and follows a group of friends who are fiercely proud of their Middlesbrough and queer identities. Featuring famous Teessiders Mark Benton, Steph McGovern and Charlotte Riley, alongside an up-and-coming cast of young stars, the show was filmed around Middlesbrough at hotspots such as The Empire nightclub, Teesside University and the Teesside Princess. Read our interview with cast member and Corrie star Alexandra Mardell at livingnorth.com for behind the scenes gossip. Catch up now, as Smoggie Queens has been recommissioned for a second series!
Available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Vera
January marked the end of a (V)era when we reluctantly said goodbye to Brenda Blethyn’s DCI Vera Stanhope as the popular ITV detective drama came to an end with series 14. The final episodes of Vera were filmed throughout Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and North Yorkshire. Hexham doubled as the fictional town of Bentham and the cast spent a lot of time filming at the coast. The series first aired in 2011, and this year marks 25 years since the publication of Ann Cleeves’ first Vera novel. Hear more from Ann on the success of Vera at livingnorth.com.
Available to stream on ITVX.
