In the picture
Everyone enjoys watching a film or relaxing with a favourite television show so why not spend time visiting the sets or attractions themed around them. Carrie Drage recommends some of the options available for groups.
The invention of the moving image was a pivotal moment in history and has impacted greatly on British popular culture, with films and television shows influencing many areas of society from fashion through to music. For GTOs wishing to arrange a group trip with a film or television theme there are a wide variety of options available. These range from attractions exploring the technology behind the moving image to guided tours themed around locations featured in popular films and television shows.
The celebrity trail
No-one can deny that we live in a world dominated by fame and celebrity, so it is hardly surprising that film and television should have a powerful influence over our desire to visit a place.
In Hampshire, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu has two exhibition areas devoted to cars featured on the big screen and in television shows. ‘Star Vehicles’ currently includes the lime green Mini, famous for its appearances in the Mr Bean television series, whereas ‘The James Bond Experience’ features genuine cars and props from the 007 films. For instance, groups can view the Lotus submarine car from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me. There is also a selection of movie memorabilia including Oddjob’s bowler hat as worn in ‘Goldfinger’. Discounts are given to groups of 15 or more and guided tours can also be arranged.
Meanwhile, Bradford is home to the National Media Museum which, until last year, was known as the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. The building houses a collection of temporary and permanent gallery and exhibition spaces, two cinemas and an IMAX screen. One of the most popular areas of the Museum is the television gallery called Experience TV, which contains an interactive area giving group members the chance to be filmed reading the news from an autocue. Visitors can also enjoy the Kodak Gallery, which explores the history of photography, the Profiles Gallery, where you can watch IMAX projectors in action, and the Animation Gallery, which features sets from the Wallace and Gromit film ‘The Wrong Trousers’. Entry to the Museum is free and guided tours of the Insight research centre can also be arranged. Groups of 10 or more receive discounts on IMAX tickets.
In the north of Yorkshire is the town of Thirsk, home to the famous vet and author Alf Wight, who wrote under the pen name James Herriott. His collection of stories inspired two films and the long-running television series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. The World of James Herriott attraction is based in a recreated 1940s surgery, previously belonging to Alf Wight. It gives groups the opportunity to view sets from the BBC programme or act out a scene in front of the camera, using scripts from the actual series. Visitors can also sit in the same Austin 7 car used in the TV show. Groups of 10 or more receive discounted entry and GTOs are admitted free of charge. Evening guided tours can also be arranged, for 20 or more people.
In Manchester, groups can spend a day visiting popular film and television locations on a Manchester in the Picture walking or coach tour. A Blue Badge Guide will tailor the tour to suit the interests of your group; however locations around the city can include those used in the TV series’ ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Cracker’ and ‘Prime Suspect’. Groups may also be interested in visiting the Northern Quarter of the city, which was used to emulate New York City in the 2004 film remake of ‘Alfie’ starring Jude Law, or the Manchester Town Hall that has doubled for the Houses of Parliament in numerous productions including James Bond films.
Another attraction with a 007 connection is the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum, in Keswick, featuring vehicles from various film and television shows. These include an Aston Martin DB5 seen in the Bond films ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Thunderball’, the Volkswagen Beetle, known as Herbie, that starred in the popular Disney films, the Ford Anglia used in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ and cars from the film ‘The Fast and the Furious’. Groups of 20 or more people receive a 10% discount and guided tours are also available.
Groups wishing to retrace the footsteps of their favourite actor or television show might also like to visit one of the many English Heritage properties that have appeared on screen. More recent productions include TV shows ‘Maxwell’ and ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ at east London’s Eltham Palace and the film ‘Venus’ at Kenwood House, in north London; however groups may also be interested in visiting Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, a property that will be familiar from the film ‘Mrs Brown’, Marble Hill House in south London, recognisable from ‘Shakespeare in Love’ or Chiswick House in West London, which starred in the film ‘Vanity Fair’. Groups of 11 or more people receive a 15% discount on admission to English Heritage properties and a free place is given to GTOs.
The National Trust also owns several houses and gardens that have starred in the movies and on television. Over the past year, Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire has appeared in the film ‘Hot Fuzz’ and BBC2 comedy ‘Saxondale’, Osterley Park in Middlesex has starred in the film ‘Amazing Grace’ and BBC1 drama ‘Spooks’ and footage has also been filmed at Great Chalfield Manor in Wiltshire for a new film called ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’, starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Groups visiting National Trust properties receive discounts for 15 or more people.
Just a short journey across the Channel, Disneyland Resort Paris offers groups the chance to learn more about how films and television shows are made at the Walt Disney Studios Park. The Animation Courtyard area allows you to try your hand at animation techniques, whilst the Production Courtyard offers a behind-the-scenes Studio Tram Tour. This takes you past props and scenery used in actual films and television shows, before entering Catastrophe Canyon, a film set with fire and water special effects. Groups of 12 or more receive discounted entry.
One big movie set
Over the decades, Britain has been transformed into one big film set, in various guises, with hundreds of UK locations creating a backdrop for Hollywood blockbusters and various Brit-flicks.
In the seaside resort of Brighton in East Sussex, most famously associated with the cult film Quadrophenia, groups can enjoy a Quadrophenia Walking Tour. This is offered by the Brighton and Hove Tourist Board and is run by a Blue Badge Guide. It features locations used in the 1979 film as well as details about real life battles that took place in the city between the mods and the rockers. Music and stills from the film are also used to enhance the whole experience further. Private tours can be arranged at any time for groups of 12 or more people.
Similar to Quadrophenia, the Harry Potter phenomenon has had a strong impact on modern youth culture. In the capital, groups can take Harry Potter guided tours which feature various locations seen in the films including London Zoo, Leadenhall Market and King’s Cross station, which has starred as the magical Platform 9 and 3/4’s and features a sign and a trolley half disappearing into the wall. Tours are available with various operators, including overnight packages which combine a trip to London with visits to Gloucester and Oxford, two more cities that have locations featured in the films. On these outings, groups can take in Gloucester Cathedral and Oxford University colleges, which provided the setting for many of the Hogwart’s school scenes.
Harry Potter fans may also wish to take a ride onboard The Jacobite steam train service between Fort William and Mallaig, in Scotland. West Coast Railways, operators of The Jacobite, provided the locomotive for the ‘Hogwart’s Express’ and parts of the route were used for the filming of the Harry Potter movies. During the 42-mile journey, groups will probably be most familiar with the Glenfinnan viaduct, which has also appeared in many other films and television shows including ‘Charlotte Gray’ and ‘Monarch of the Glen’. A 10% discount is available for groups of 10 or more travelling together.
Another film that has been adapted from a bestselling novel is the Da Vinci Code. A variety of British locations from London to Lincoln were used during the filming, along with memorable Parisian landmarks. Various Da Vinci Code walking and coach tours are available that explore London locations such as Temple Church and Westminster Cathedral. Guided tours of Lincoln can also be arranged that include visits to Lincoln Cathedral and Burghley House. More adventurous groups might like to take a Da Vinci Code guided tour of Paris that takes in the Louvre and the St Suplice church.
Shot in a 19th century country mansion in Onibury, Shropshire, the recent film Atonement provides the theme for a new film location tour at Stokesay Court. Groups who have seen the movie will recognise some of the props that have been left behind by the film makers, including an eight-foot tall stone statue in the entrance hall that has been constructed from fibreglass. You can also view a display case in the nursery room, featuring an offcut of the emerald green dress that Keira Knightley wears in the film. Groups visiting the house will be guided around several of the rooms featured in the film including the drawing room and bedrooms belonging to two of the main characters.
Further east in Lincolnshire, groups can visit the locations used in the latest film adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s classic novels. Pride and Prejudice guided tours can be booked through various tour operators and will be tailor made to suit the interests of your group. Suggested itineraries feature a visit to Belvoir Castle and Belton House; however trips can also incorporate a visit to film locations in neighbouring Derbyshire, such as Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall.
Meanwhile, in Lancashire, groups will find an attraction that was featured in the 1945 film, ‘Brief Encounter’. Entry to the Carnforth Station Visitor Centre is free; however for a small donation, groups can arrange a guided tour that takes in the Brief Encounter exhibition, featuring information about how the location was chosen, biographies of the actors and film footage, as well as the famous 19th century clock, which appeared in the movie and is hung above one of the platforms. A short break can be spent in the Refreshment Room, which has been restored to resemble one of the set’s used in ‘Brief Encounter’.
A film that enjoyed success in 2007 is ‘Miss Potter’, based on the life and literature of Beatrix Potter, whose children’s books introduced us to the famous characters of Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin and Jemima Puddleduck. Groups can arrange walking or coach tours of filming locations around Cumbria and the Lake District with various tour operators, many of whom offer a tailor made service. The itinerary can take in sites such as Derwentwater, Tarn Hows and Yew Tree farm, near Consiton, which became Hill Top farm for the film.
Just as Beatrix Potter has left her legacy in the Lake District, author Irvine Welsh has put his birthplace of Leith firmly in the cinematic spotlight. The 1996 film ‘Trainspotting’, was based on his novel and groups visiting the town can take a guided Trainspotting Tour. Sites featured include Leith Dockers’ Social Club, where the film’s main character Renton drinks with his parents.
Another option for groups is to arrange an unguided film location tour which can be organised with the aid of a movie map. These can be downloaded free of charge from tourist boards and film council websites. For instance, Film London has a range of maps featuring locations from a variety of British films including ‘Closer’ and ‘Love Actually’. A ‘London on Film’ map is also available featuring more than 50 locations from different movies filmed in the capital, such as St. James’ Park, which featured in ‘101 Dalmatians’.
On the box
For many of us, the television has become a staple household product and talk about television frequently penetrates our conversations. With this in mind, a great way to entertain your group is to visit somewhere in real life that has been seen on screen.
On the south coast, Southampton-based Blue Funnel Cruises offer groups a Hamble River Cruise, which sails from the town to Hamble-le-Rice, recognisable as the fictional village of Tarrant from the 1980s BBC drama, ‘Howard’s Way’. Cruises are available for groups of 40 or more.
Behind the camera, groups can learn about television production on one of the BBC Backstage Tours at BBC Television Centre on Wood Lane, London. The guided walking tour gives visitors a history of the building and an overview of what goes on within the different studios. Due to the filming schedule of the BBC, no two tours will ever be the same; however groups are usually able to observe the BBC news centre, the green rooms and several studio galleries, where you may be lucky enough to see your favourite television programme being recorded. The tour ends with a visit to the interactive studio where you can take part in a mock game show, similar to the ‘Weakest Link’. Groups rates are available for 15 or more people and one person goes free for every 15 people booked on a tour.
In Oxford, groups can follow in the footsteps of television detective Inspector Morse. The guided Inspector Morse Tour takes you to the scene of some of Morse’s best known cases such as the Ashmolean Museum and Exeter College, where Inspector Morse famously collapsed from a heart attack. An Inspector Lewis Tour of Oxford is also offered which features locations used for the spin-off series starring Morse’s sidekick. Private tours can be arranged.
To learn the secrets behind the BBC’s adaptation of Robin Hood, groups can visit the new Robin Hood Up Close exhibition at Nottingham Castle, which was home to his arch enemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Running until Easter 2008, the exhibition is displayed in three of the Castle’s galleries, which have been designed to resemble Sherwood Forest, Locksley Manor, Nottingham and the Castle. Visitors are guided through the exhibition via audio messages, recorded by the actor Jonas Armstrong, who plays the lead role. Other characters are also brought to life as actors’ faces are projected onto mannequins wearing costumes worn during the filming of the first series. To find out more about the show’s stunts and how make-up is used to create wounds, groups can visit the ‘Hood Academy’ section. Entry to the exhibition is included in the Castle’s entry fee and groups receive one free place for every tenth person.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire has provided the backdrop for many television shows over the years, from ‘Heartbeat’ to ‘A Touch of Frost’; however, the area is possibly most famous for BBC1’s long-running comedy, ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, filmed mostly in the Pennine town of Holmfirth. The Last of the Summer Wine Exhibition is located in the building that provided the exterior shot for Compo’s house. The attraction contains photographs and memorabilia from the series, along with video footage featuring famous clips from the show. The attraction also incorporates a recreation of the interior of Compo’s house, which forms part of the Wrinkled Stocking tearoom.
Groups can also arrange a guided Summerwine Magic coach tour, which is a 10-mile trip across the Holme Valley that departs from outside Sid’s Cafe, used in the series. The tour features popular filming locations from the series and groups of 16 or more receive a 10% discount.
Another BBC1 show appealing to every generation is Doctor Who. Groups can learn more about this futuristic series at the Doctor Who Museum in Blackpool, which contains four decades of memorabilia dating back to 1963. Groups can also see models of some of the Doctor’s most famous enemies including the Daleks.
Similar exhibitions, called Doctor Who Up-Close, can be found at Land’s End in Cornwall, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and at the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff. Cardiff was used for the filming of the last three series’ of Doctor Who and, as such, the Centre has an exclusive display highlighting the production of the show in and around the city. A Doctor Who locations map is also available from the Red Dragon Centre and the Cardiff TIC. All venues offer group discounts.
Moving to the Scottish Highlands, the scenic area of Badenoch and Strathspey was used for the filming of the BBC1 series ‘Monarch of the Glen’. A journey on the Strathspey Steam Railway, running 10 miles between Aviemore and Broomhill, is a must for groups visiting the area. Viewers of the programme will probably recognise Broomhill, which found fame as the location for Glenbogle station. Group fares are available for 20 or more passengers travelling together.