North Herts has always been a popular area for filming, attracting filmmakers from the 1950s to the present day. With over 30 productions using locations in North Hertfordshire, including award-winning films like The King’s Speech, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Batman Begins, the area offers a collection of ideal filming locations.
Here is a selection of some of the filming that has taken place over recent years.
My Policeman (2022)
A romantic drama that was filmed at Hitchin Outdoor Pool in June 2021. Many extras in 1950s swimming gear were seen on their tea break in a pop-up tent on Butts Close. The film stars Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson.
Landscapers (2021)
A drama about the true story of the apparently ordinary couple who came to murder the wife's parents and bury them in their back garden. Features the Broadway cinema in Letchworth.
Doctor Foster (BBC, 2017)
Hitchin featured as the location for BBC TV’s Doctor Foster, chiefly in its second series. The town’s Market Square doubled as the backdrop for many scenes in the fictitious town of Parminster.
Humans (Channel 4, 2018)
Humans is a Channel 4 science fiction TV series focusing on the impact of anthropomorphic humanlike robots called “synths”. Hitchin plays the fictitious town of Waltringham and features in series 3.
Lee and Dean (Channel 4, 2018)
Lee and Dean is a Channel 4 comedy show following the lives of “Stevenage” builders and childhood friends Lee and Dean. Stevenage is just down the road, but Hitchin is used for some of the outdoor scenes.
The World's End (2013)
The World's End was partly filmed in and around Letchworth in 2012 and was released in the UK in July 2013. Acclaimed actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine star as five childhood friends who reunite after 20 years to repeat a legendary pub-crawl from their youth, returning to their hometown once again to attempt to reach the fabled pub, ‘The World’s End’.
“Working in Letchworth was a brilliant opportunity that is rare - to have a town play such an important role in the film. North Herts District Council embraced us fully with a truly positive perspective. They allowed night filming and road closures that would otherwise have made our filming process almost impossible with great grace and although we tried to minimise the levels of disruption caused, inevitably with the scale of our crew and the ambitions of the Director, the impact of the film was felt throughout the town and was in general met with kindness and enthusiasm. We hope that we also added an overall revenue to the town for a few short weeks and we hope that the film brings them business and visitor interest in the future.”
Camilla Stephenson, Supervising Location Manager on The World's End