Stars align to put our county on movie map

As the Oscar winners recover from the party and try to find a spot for their new statuettes in the downstairs loo, it's worth remembering that some of the hottest film and TV locations are right here in Lancashire.
Daniel Day Lewis in The Phantom ThreadDaniel Day Lewis in The Phantom Thread
Daniel Day Lewis in The Phantom Thread

The villages, towns and countryside of the Red Rose county are in high demand for filming and there has been a long list of famous faces turning up on Lancashire soil to star and direct over the past few decades –and nowhere is that more evident than on the Fylde coast.

From the recently filmed Murder on the Blackpool Express, to classic love story Brief Encounter, tense drama Possession and the family favourite Three Men and a Little Lady, Lancashire has long been a filming favourite - but how many can you name?

Here is a selection...

Samuel L Jackson starred in Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar ChildrenSamuel L Jackson starred in Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children
Samuel L Jackson starred in Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children

Films on the Fylde...

(All dates are when filming took place not release dates)

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* Away (2017), which stars Hollywood actor Timothy Spall and Dark Knight Rises actress Juno Temple, was filmed almost entirely on the Fylde coast and Blackpool.

* Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (2015), directed by Tim Burton, included filming in Blackpool and Kirkham.

Gwyneth Paltrow featured in PossessionGwyneth Paltrow featured in Possession
Gwyneth Paltrow featured in Possession

* The Phantom Thread (2017) saw Sir Daniel Day Lewis filming in Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom, to shoot a glittering party.

* Eaten by Lions (2017), a comedy in the vein of a contemporary East Is East-type story, was filmed in Blackpool. Manchester-based director Jason Wingard said the resort’s iconic skyline had helped ‘elevate the whole film and gives it production values’ and that the team had enjoyed the ‘freedom of the Prom’.

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* Nowhere Boy (2009) is a biopic of the life of John Lennon, directed by Sam Taylor Wood and starring Kristin Scott Thomas. This feature shot in Blackpool for three days in March 2009 on North Pier and Trafalgar Road.

*The Parole Officer (2000), a feature film written by, and starring, Steve Coogan, was filmed in Blackpool. It is about a failed parole officer who is framed for murder and has to enlist the help of his former clients to clear his name.

Johnny Vegas in Murder on the Blackpool ExpressJohnny Vegas in Murder on the Blackpool Express
Johnny Vegas in Murder on the Blackpool Express

... and films across Lancashire

* Get Santa (2014). TheSir Ridley Scott-produced film was partially filmed at Lancaster Castle and starred Jim Broadbent and Warwick Davis, from Star Wars.

* The King’s Speech (2010) featured Queens Street Mill, in Burnley, as the location for scenes. This multi-Oscar winning film, which starred Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter and Geoffrey Rush, told the story of King George VI’s determination to overcome his problems with speech.

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* Brief Encounter, filmed at Carnforth Railway Station in 1945, was nominated for three Oscars. The classic love story starred Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.

Helena Bonham Carter starred in The Kings SpeechHelena Bonham Carter starred in The Kings Speech
Helena Bonham Carter starred in The Kings Speech

* My Summer of Love (2003) is a coming of age film set in the Yorkshire countryside. It sees working-class tomboy Mona (Natalie Press) meets the exotic, pampered Tasmin (Emily Blunt). Some scenes were filmed at The Swan Hotel in Bacup.

*Possession (2001) is a feature film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart about two literary sleuths who unearth the secret of two Victorian poets, only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell. It was filmed at Leighton Hall near Carnforth.

*Whistle Down The Wind (Beaver Films), starring Alan Bates and Hayley Mills, was filmed at locations including Burnley and Bacup. This 1961 film tells how three children assist an escaped convict they find in their barn, sure that he is Jesus. The farm used in the film was Worsaw End Farm in Downham.

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* Three Men & A Little Lady (1990), the sequel to ‘Three Men & A Baby’ starring Tom Selleck and Ted Danson, filmed exteriors at Stonyhurst College in the Ribble Valley.

*A Monster Calls (2014), starring Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver, saw filming take place in Preston.

Television shows on the Fylde...

Colin Firth starred in The Kings SpeechColin Firth starred in The Kings Speech
Colin Firth starred in The Kings Speech

* Coronation Street has been a regular visitor to Blackpool - most famously when Alan Bradley met his death in 1989 beneath a tram was watched by 26.93m viewers. Jack and Vera Duckworth famously wanted to retire to the resort.

* Murder on the Blackpool Express (2017), a comedy drama television film created by Jason Cook, was filmed in Blackpool. It stars Johnny Vegas, Sian Gibson, Nigel Havers, Una Stubbs, Griff Rhys Jones, Nina Wadia, Sheila Reid, Kimberley Nixon and Kevin Eldon.

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* Blackpool (2003), an acclaimed drama series starring David Tennant, Sarah Parish, and Steve Pemberton, filmed at various locations in Blackpool and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.

* Boy A (2006), a gripping drama about a young ex-con Jack, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a murder he committed as a child, was filmed in Blackpool and won several BAFTA TV Awards, including Best Actor and Best Director.

* Red Riding Trilogy (2008), based on the best-selling David Peace novels, was filmed in Blackpool.

* Casanova (2005), a drama series starring Peter O’Toole, Matt Lucas and David Tennant (before his Dr.Who days), was filmed at Lytham Hall. Other Lancashire locations included Hoghton Tower and Towneley Hall.

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* Max & Paddy’s Road To Nowhere (2004), the popular spin off from Phoenix Nights, saw filming take place in Blackpool and Preston.

It was written by, and starred, Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness.

* Our Girl (2016) saw ex-Corrie star Michelle Keegan stop off in Fleetwood to film a few scenes for the popular BBC army drama.

... and TV shows across Lancashire

* The Trip (2010) was a six part comedy drama starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, which sees the pair travelling around Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire posing as restaurant critics.

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Filming in Lancashire took place across the Ribble Valley and Lancaster districts in February and March 2010.

* Cold Blood (2007), a drama series starring Jemma Redgrave and John Hannah, filmed at Hoghton Tower, which was turned into an army barracks for a scene involving a mine explosion.

* The Ruby in the Smoke (2005) was a drama series based on the novels by Philip Pullman, starring Billie Piper and Julie Walters, and filmed at Sunderland Point in Morecambe.

* Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996-98) was a popular BBC drama starring Patricia Routledge, which filmed at various locations in Darwen and Rawtenstall from 1996 to 1998.

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* Survivors (2008), a remake of the cult 1970s series, was set during the aftermath of a deadly plague and starring Max Beesley. It was filmed at various locations in Helmshore and Rawtenstall.

* AWOL (2009), a 90-minute drama for the BBC written by Lin Coghlan and directed by BAFTA award-winning director Marc Munden, was a tough but tender story about Britain’s lost kids. Starring Aaron Taylor, Thomas Sangster and Michelle Asante, AWOL is the story of three brothers on the road and on the run and filmed in Burnley and West Lancashire.

* Apparitions (2008), a supernatural drama series starring Martin Shaw, filmed during May, June, and July 2008 at St.Joseph’s Seminary in West Lancashire.

* Life on Mars (2006), a cult drama set during the 1970s and starring John Sim and Philip Glenister, filmed an episode at Hoghton Tower.

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* Born & Bred (2002-05) was a popular Sunday night drama filmed in Downham village.

Downham’s village pub, the Assheton Arms, features in the programme as The Signalman’s Arms.

* North and South (2004), a four-part drama adaptation of the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, starring Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage, was filmed at Helmshore Textile Museum in Rossendale in 2004.

* Moll Flanders (1996), based on the novel by Daniel Defoe and starring Alex Kingston and Daniel Craig, was filmed at Hoghton Tower, Astley Hall and Rivington Castle.

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* All Quiet on the Preston Front (1994-7) was a drama series starring a young Alistair MacGowan charting the every day lives and misadventures of a group of friends, most of whom belong to their local unit of the Territorial Army.

It was filmed at various locations in Padiham, Rossendale and Darwen.