Filming increases in North Yorkshire after major new investmentShooting for rom-com begins in Harrogate’s Valley GardensRiverdale star Camila Mendes believed to be filming in Harrogate today

Riverdale star Camila Mendes is believed to be back in Harrogate today to film for an Amazon Prime production.

Upgraded Films UK has been unloading vans on James Street in preparation for filming this afternoon.

The American-Brazilian actress and singer, who made her debut portraying Veronica Lodge in the teen drama series Riverdale, was photographed filming on the Stray two weeks ago.

She and Archie Renaux are starring in a romantic comedy called Upgraded directed by Carlson Young, who could also be in town.

Camila Mendes filming on the Stray a fortnight ago.

Mendes’ Instagram story also showed her visiting Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, on her last visit.

Since then filming has taken place around West Yorkshire.

Several vehicles parked on the side of James Street this lunchtime and began unloading kit. Signs said filming was due to take place.

James Street is expected to stay open throughout the duration of today’s filming.

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Comedian Alan Carr spotted filming in Harrogate today

Comedian Alan Carr has been spotted filming in Harrogate today.

The ‘Chatty Man’ drew a crowd of onlookers at the Westmorland Sheepskins shop on Montpellier Parade.

The production team confirmed they were shooting an episode of BBC One’s Interior Design Masters.

They were unable to give an exact date on when it will be broadcast, however it is expected to be at least six months.

Comedian Alan Carr, pictured in Harrogate fighting off a wasp.

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The popular show follows 10 aspiring designers all looking for their big break in the fast-paced world of commercial interior design.

The designers take on a new interior design challenge up and down the country each week, ranging from show homes, shops and restaurants to beach huts, bars and luxury holiday villas.

They are usually given two or three premises each to either do up individually or as a team.

At the end of each challenge, the weakest designers face the judges and explain their design decisions, with at least one contestant being eliminated.

Mr Carr was also spotted in Bettys, on Parliament Street, today.

Why are film crews flocking to the Harrogate district?

Whether it is fantasy films or period dramas, the Harrogate district has become a hotspot for film crews to shoot big productions.

This past year has seen Harrogate town centre and Fountains Abbey play host to major film and television stars, including Simon Pegg and Bridgeton star Phoebe Dynevor.

Earlier this week, Pegg was spotted shooting a scene for his upcoming film Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose on Crown Place.

Simon Pegg pictured filming Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose at the Crown Plaza in Harrogate.

Simon Pegg filming in Harrogate on Monday.

While the district can offer picturesque scenes for Netflix and film productions, local industry officials say there is more to Harrogate which attracts crews.

Film crews love Harrogate

Chris Hordley is production liaison and development manager at Screen Yorkshire, a body which helps production companies film projects in the region.

The organisation helps major films get off the ground in Yorkshire by giving them location options and helping find crew members to support shooting scenes.

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Mr Hordley said while Harrogate is a perfect place for fantasy films, period dramas and other series, its hospitality is part of the reason why production teams keep coming back.

“They love it.

“A lot of the feedback we get is that it is well placed for hotels. If they [the crew] are not from Yorkshire, they get places to stay over.

“They will say to us: ‘I loved it so much that I booked a weekend for my family’. We get that a lot.”

He added that the ability to get from the centre of Harrogate to another location, such as Newby Hall near Ripon, in a short space of time was also part of the appeal.

“You can also get to lots of interesting locations in a short time. It’s a good place.”

More productions to come

Areas of the district have hosted many major productions over the years.

The Nidd Gorge viaduct was used to film a scene in Paddington 2 and Plumpton Rocks and Fountains Abbey feature in the The Witcher, a popular Netflix series.

Plumpton Rocks and Fountains Abbey both star in The Witcher.

Mr Hordley said Screen Yorkshire has a database of around 1,500 locations in the region, which they offer to production companies.

This includes landscapes, historic buildings, private businesses and major cities like Leeds and York.

Mr Hordley added that Yorkshire and Harrogate is often used to portray a different place because of the history and heritage locations.

“A lot of what we do is portraying Yorkshire as somewhere else.

“Yorkshire and Harrogate is really good for storytelling for past and present, feature and fantasy.”

All Creatures Great and Small

Mr Hordley pointed to All Creatures Great and Small, which is filmed mainly in Grassington but also in Harrogate as an example of a successful historical series that has put the district on the map.

More recently, Simon Pegg’s upcoming film, Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose is a film based on the story of the para-psychologist from the 1930s and was shot in Harrogate.

When asked whether people in the Harrogate district can expect to be on television screens more in the future, he said:

“You absolutely can.

“We have been working hard on more projects. There are projects that will be happening in Harrogate.”

All Creatures Great and Small filmed in Harrogate over bank holiday

Film crews were in Harrogate again over the bank holiday to film the latest series of All Creatures Great and Small.

The road outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices at Crescent Gardens was closed to enable filming to take place for the third series of Channel 5‘s adaptation of the books by James Herriot.

Filming began in March and has taken the cast and crew around the Dales to areas such as Grassington, Summerbridge and Pateley Bridge for the programme about the life of a vet in the Yorkshire Dales.

Reader Holly Chaplin sent us some images over the weekend after spotting a classic car and multiple men in tweed being filmed outside Crescent Gardens.

This is the second time in a few weeks the former council buildings have been used as a backdrop for a TV series. At the beginning of last month it was used as a location for Netflix’s new show Bank of Dave.

Plans to redevelop Crescent Gardens, which include a two-storey extension, rooftop restaurant, gym and new office space, are recommended for approval next week.

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Harrogate has been visited by numerous film crews and stars in recent weeks.

Ms Chaplin also sent us a photo of wildlife presenter Steve Backshall, taken when he appeared at a show at Harrogate’s Royal Hall yesterday.

Steve Backshall in Harrogate

Steve Backshall in Harrogate yesterday. Pic by Holly Chaplin

 

Harrogate branded the ‘new Hollywood’ after film crews descend

The Harrogate district is rapidly becoming the new hotspot for film crews with the likes of Matt Smith, Sir Patrick Stewart and even a Barbados fire truck spotted locally this week.

The presence of so many cameras and stars suggests more and more producers recognise the district’s beauty and historic appeal.

Shaw Mills has been taken over by a film crew in recent weeks. Doctor Who actor Matt Smith has been in Nidderdale for a new horror movie, with numerous sightings of him in Pateley Bridge in between filming the adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel Starve Acre.

A separate film crew set up on Harrogate’s Cardale Park this week. Phil Sands who works in Mackenzies Deli on the estate said Yorkshire Tea was filming a new advert starring Sir Patrick Stewart.

The actor, best known for his role in the Star Trek and X-Men series, is believed to have been taking part in a two-day shoot for Yorkshire Tea, whose previous adverts featured Sean Bean.

Mr Sands, the manager at Mackenzies Deli, said:

“They were here Wednesday and Thursday and it looked like a big production. Having Sir Patrick Stewart here was pretty amazing. It’s like Harrogate is the new Hollywood!”

The Mackenzies Deli team posted this on Instagram yesterday. Photograph: @mackenziesdeli

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A few weeks ago new Netflix film ‘Bank of Dave’ with Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor was filmed at the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Crescent Gardens.

Today eagle-eyed reader Jonathan Edwards sent us a picture today of a Barbados fire engine driving up Wetherby Road with a camera attached to the front, prompting speculation of yet more filming.

The Stray Ferret has been told a BBC drama is being filmed in Harrogate town centre currently, but it is not known if the fire engine’s appearance related to this.

Photograph: Jonathan Edwards

Netflix movie being filmed in Harrogate today

A big budget Netflix movie featuring Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor is being filmed today at the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Crescent Gardens.

Bank Of Dave will be a biopic of Dave Fishwick, a self-made businessman from Burnley in Lancashire.

James Bond actor Rory Kinnear will play Mr Fishwick, opposite Phoebe Dynevor, who is best known for her role as Daphne in the hit Netflix period drama.

Mr Fishwick became famous after he set up a community bank that was called The Bank of Dave by locals in Burnley. It lent money to businesses in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.

He subsequently became a TV personality, filming programmes about unscrupulous payday loan lenders.

Crescent Gardens has been empty since the council relocated to Knapping Mount in 2017.

Impala Estates, a property investment company in Harrogate, bought the building in January 2020 for £4m. But the last update on its website for the property was exactly one year ago.

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What is being filmed at Crimple Valley viaduct?

Speculation has been mounting on social media after a photographer snapped pictures of a film crew in action at Crimple Valley viaduct yesterday.

James Forster, a wildlife photographer, set out to capture the wildlife in Crimple Valley when he spotted some unusual activity on the viaduct.

Pictures he shared with the Stray Ferret show a limousine, film crews with cameras and boom microphones as well as three actors preparing for the shoot.

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It is unclear what film or TV show the film crew is working on. There has been much excitement in Leeds where Samuel L Jackson has been filming a new Marvel series for Disney Plus but he is not thought to have headed north to Harrogate.

Mr Forster’s images on Twitter provoked comments that ITV has been filming Emmerdale in the area.

The Stray Ferret asked ITV whether it was filming Emmerdale in Harrogate but the broadcaster said it was unable to comment at this time.

The 31-arch viaduct is one of the most photographed structures in the Harrogate district.

The Witcher: First pictures of Harrogate district filming for major Netflix show

Two beauty spots in the Harrogate district are set to feature in the second series of a major Netflix show starring Henry Cavill as Geralt.

The Witcher, which has a cast and crew of around 250 people, was filmed at both Plumpton Rocks near Harrogate and Fountains Abbey near Ripon.

In the first series, most filming was done in countries such as Hungary, Austria and Spain. However, due to coronavirus restrictions Netflix had to look for locations in the UK.

In October last year, the Stray Ferret showed a picture taken by reader Jo McGregor at Fountains Abbey of a film crew in action. The National Trust would only say at the time it was a “major TV series”.

Ahead of the release of series two of the Witcher on Friday, the National Trust and the owner of Plumpton Rocks have now confirmed the details and released behind the scenes pictures.

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Justin Scully, general manager of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said:

“It was great to see such an exciting amount of activity happening onsite last year. Filming for The Witcher was by far the largest scale filming we’ve ever had here.

“Our visitors really enjoyed seeing such a big production happening around the property and had fun guessing what was being filmed, which we had to keep confidential at the time.

“There was a huge amount of work that went on behind the scenes to make it all happen.

“We worked for months with the production team from Netflix as well as specialist filming conservators so that we could ensure the safety of visitors, staff and of course the abbey and water garden.”

The National Trust added that the location fees it received will be spent on essential work at Fountains Abbey.

Robert de Plumpton Hunter, who owns Plumpton Rocks and has spearheaded a major £700,000 renovation at the site over the last several years, told the Stray Ferret:

“Netflix brought a major crew for the Witcher to Plumpton Rocks, where they filmed for about two weeks.

“Particularly during coronavirus it was great for Harrogate’s economy. I am looking to forward to watching it.”

More pictures from behind the scenes:

A crew member uses a VFX ball to capture lighting information from the set within the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Photo: Netflix

An elaborate set and special effects light up the abbey ruins during a dramatic scene. Photo: Netflix

MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries in the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Photo: Netflix