We might be one of the UK’s leading agencies outside of London providing film and photography locations across the UK, but like everyone, we have roots – specifically, in Yorkshire. So as the region enjoys its annual Yorkshire Day celebrations, we thought we’d highlight some of the places in God’s Own Country that’ve been used as locations for well-known films and TV shows…
West Yorkshire films & TV shows
As a Leeds-based company, we’re starting right here, at the heart of West Yorkshire. And what a place to start, with none other than superstar Samuel L Jackson and Game of Thrones heroine Emilia Clarke having been spotted in various city centre locations earlier this year, whilst filming scenes for what’s said to be the upcoming Disney+ TV miniseries based on the Marvel Comics, Secret Invasion. We can’t wait to see our hometown on the big screen!
Did you know that most of the ‘Birmingham-based’ Netflix hit, Peaky Blinders, was also shot in West Yorkshire? Well, it was. West Yorkshire’s also provided key locations for other popular TV shows, including BBC drama series Gentleman Jack, shot at the gorgeous grade II-listed Shibden Hall (2019); long-running detective series starring David Jason, A Touch of Frost (1992 – 2010), based in Wakefield, Castleford and Pontefract; and the soap opera, Emmerdale (ongoing), the set of which can be found on the Harewood Estate.
North Yorkshire film & TV hotspots
North Yorkshire is undeniably beautiful and an absolute hotspot when it comes to filming – a phenomenon which you could argue started with James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small back in 1978, when the Upper Wensleydale village of Askrigg was chosen as the location for the fictional towns of Darrowby and Bainbridge (in the new series, broadcast in 2020, various locations in Upper Wharfedale and Littondale are used instead).
Since then, the area has played host to productions great and small too, including: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), where Whitby’s Goathland Railway served as Hogsmeade Station; then later, The Deathly Hallows (2010), which used several locations in Malham; national film hit, Calendar Girls (2003), which is set in Kettlewell; and the long-running 1960s police series, Heartbeat (1992 – 2010), which brought film crews to Whitby for almost 20 years.
East Yorkshire filming locations
Not as many location scouts have spotted the potential of East Yorkshire as they have in other parts of the region, but it’s safe to say that the 2016 remake of famous sitcom, Dad’s Army, makes up for that somewhat, having used multiple locations in the area, including Bridlington Old Town, Bempton, Sewerby, Flamborough and Danes Dyke (all of which can be found on the brilliant Dad’s Army Filming Locations Trail)
East Yorkshire also welcomed film crews working on the historical TV drama series, Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria, the third season of which was aired in 2021. And before that, in 2013, the area provided locations for scenes featured in BBC three-part series, Death Comes to Pemberely, based on the PD James novel of the same name.
South Yorkshire on film & TV
Two popular films exploring South Yorkshire’s industrial history and the impact of the closure of its pits and steelworks came in quick succession during the 1990’s – and we loved them both. Predominantly set in Grimethorpe, Barnsley, Brassed Off (1996) follows the fortunes of a miners’ brass band, the members of which face redundancy when their colliery is threatened with closure.
In a similar vein, the comedy film The Full Monty (1997) tracks the highs and lows of a group of six unemployed men who decide to get naked to raise some funds to make up for their lost income. Set in Sheffield, the film showcases numerous locations around the city, including Sanderson Special Steels in Newhall, Sheffield Job Centre, and Shiregreen Working Men’s Club.
We can’t talk about film and TV locations in South Yorkshire without paying homage to Open All Hours (1973), too – the now classic British sitcom starring Ronnie Barker and David Jason, which centered around the fictional Arkwright’s corner shop and featured locations throughout Balby in Doncaster. And let’s not forget Ken Loach’s gritty and poignant 1969 film Kes, which was mostly filmed in Barnsley.
Want to see more Yorkshire locations?
We work exclusively with both residential and commercial location owners throughout Yorkshire and have a wide variety of film and TV locations in our library, ranging from an award-winning West Yorkshire gallery and 90’s style city centre offices to opulent houses, stylish apartments, and a warehouse-turned-film studio.
Discover all the fantastic Yorkshire filming locations in our library!
Oh, and Happy Yorkshire Day!
