Yorkshire film and TV locations to see during a 'staycation' holiday in region... including the best of Harrogate

Holiday-makers are choosing to take so-called 'staycations' this year in an effort to avoid the risks and complications of travelling abroad.
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Luckily for residents of the biggest region in the country, all four corners of Yorkshire have plenty to keep people interested.

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And after a growth in the number of film and television projects in the region over recent years, they also have some top screen locations to visit during their breaks.

Brimham Rocks has been used in many films and TV shows down the years. Picture: Bruce RollinsonBrimham Rocks has been used in many films and TV shows down the years. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
Brimham Rocks has been used in many films and TV shows down the years. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

Harrogate

Where else could you find the stunning sights of our very own Harrogate? And film producers have clearly thought like-wise with a string of movies and TV shows filmed on location in our own spa town and its surrounding countryside.

Eagle-eyed viewers will have no doubt spotted the viaduct at Bilton Woods in Paddington 2, and maybe the use of Crescent Gardens as a Parisian street cafe in the brilliant Chariots of Fire? While Brimham Rocks has played a starring role in such titles as Jane Eyre (1996), Wuthering Heights (1970), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988) and Ivanhoe (1997).

Allerton Castle in Knaresborough doubled up as the German home of Prince Albert in ITVs Victoria, while Ripley Castle, Bramham Park and nearby Harewood House have also proven popular venues. Slightly further afield, the 2017 TV blockbuster Gun Powder, starring Kit Harrington, was filmed at Fountains Abbey in Ripon.

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Calderdale

The West Yorkshire district has in recent years featured multiple times on the television.

This is mainly down to Huddersfield-born writer Sally Wainwright, whose shows - including Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack - have been filmed in Yorkshire.

Visitor numbers at Shibden Hall, the focus of the BBC and HBO's Gentleman Jack, rocketed after the show aired last year.

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It is back open after lockdown, but visitors need to book in advance.

Read more: 'Yorkshire's film and TV sector must unite to recover from production shutdown'

Hull

Armando Iannucci's The Personal History of David Copperfield, starring Dev Patel and Peter Capaldi, won success at the box office and critical acclaim when it came out in January.

And visitors to Hull - previously the UK City of Culture - can retrace the steps of young Mr Copperfield.

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During production the Old Town was transformed to look like London in 1840, with filming taking place on location around Princes Street and Land of Green Ginger.

Whitby

The recent BBC version of Dracula was, naturally, filmed partly in Whitby.

This came after Hollywood director Paul Thomas Anderson brought Daniel Day-Lewis to the Yorkshire Coast to work on Phantom Thread in the Oscar winner's final screen role.

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Production also went to the Victoria Hotel in Robin Hood's Bay and the cobbled streets of Staithes.

The production of ITV's Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria, has also dropped into town.

Television show Heartbeat, which aired between 1992 and 2010, followed the 1960s lives and adventures of the local police constabulary, medical staff, and residents of Ashfordly and Aidensfield, but was filmed in Goathland in North Yorkshire.

The Goathland Hotel doubled as the The Aidensfield Arms, a pub regularly seen in the show.

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Bradford city centre

So steeped in screen heritage is Bradford that it was the first to be designated a Unesco Creative City of film more than 10 years ago.

Both Room at the Top (1959) and Billy Liar (1962) were filmed in the city centre.

In recent years City Hall has doubled for other locations in Keira Knightley film Official Secrets, the ABC Murders and Peaky Blinders - meaning it has hosted stars such as Oscar-winner Adrian Brody.

Leeds

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Yorkshire's largest city has naturally featured in a number of productions highlighted above.

Parts of the early seasons of Peaky Blinders were filmed in the city, with the Town Hall featuring.

Leeds United's Elland Road also featured in The Damned United, about the club's tumultuous time under the management of Brian Clough.

Sheffield

Movie fans will know Steel City primarily as the backdrop for The Fully Monty, the 1997 blockbuster British film about the build-up to a male striptease act.

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Chris Morris' Four Lions was also filmed in the city, as was upcoming film Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

Saltaire

This picturesque mill village in West Yorkshire, which has Unesco status, has formed the backdrop for films such as Ghost Stories and Funny Cow, as well as dramas like The ABC Murders.

A recent outing on screen, however, is in Julian Fellowes' Netflix drama The English Game.

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It is the story of the invention of football and how it quickly became one of the world's most popular sports.

Tan Hill Inn, Yorkshire Dales

Britain's highest pub (at 528 metres) in Richmond dates back to the 17th century and with its exposed beams, stone floor and crackling fire in the Yorkshire Dales, is ready-made for film and TV producers.

As well as appearing in a Waitrose Christmas advert in 2017, it was also featured earlier this year on North East detective drama, Vera.