The Big Screen

Official film posters for Hot Fuzz, Elizabeth and Sens & Sensibility

Films such as Hot Fuzz, Elizabeth and Sense & Sensibility have been shot in Somerset

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With so much history, heritage and stunning scenery, it is not surprising that Somerset is a favourite for film makers. From period costume dramas to present day comedies, Somerset has provided some fabulous locations for a number of box office hits.

Discover more about the Big Screen in Somerset...

Wells Green and Cathedral where Hot Fuzz was shotHot Fuzz

The historic city of Wells recently featured in the film Hot Fuzz, the hilarious comedy from writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, who also brought us Shaun of the Dead. Pegg stars in the film with Nick Frost, playing the ridiculous police partners Nicholas Angel and Danny Butterman.

Landmarks in Wells pop up throughout the film, including Somerfield supermarket in the High Street where Nicholas Angel tackles a shop lifter, as well as St Cuthbert’s Church, where Angel is assigned to watch over a church fete. The most frequently used location is Market Square, home to the newsagent where they shop, The Crown pub, and the location for most of the final scenes.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The follow-up to the film, Elizabeth, The Golden Age explores the relationship between Elizabeth I, played by Cate Blanchett , and the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Clive Owen. It features a number of Somerset locations, including the magnificent gothic Wells Cathedral as the interior of Whitehall Palace, and Brean Down near Weston-super-Mare, where Queen Elizabeth addresses her troops.

Montacute House used in Sense & Sensibility and ElizabethSense and Sensibility

The Oscar-winning film adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, Sense and Sensibility, stars Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and Kate Winslet.

It was partly filmed at Montacute House, near Yeovil and in Montacute village. Montacute House is featured as the Palmer's residence, where the love-sick Marianne runs inconsolably through the gardens in the rain, and falls dangerously ill.

A Hard Day’s Night

The 1964 film, A Hard Day’s Night, stars the Beatles in their first full-length, action-packed comedy. Made in the style of a mock documentary, it describes a few days in the lives of the group and includes many of their famous songs. Crowcombe Heathfield Station on the West Somerset Railway can be seen as the Beatles run on the platform alongside the train, shouting to Richard Vernon playing a retired army officer: 'Hey mister, can we have our ball back?’

West Somerset Railway Train coming out from under bridgeThe Land Girls

A 1998 movie starring Anna Friel and Rachel Weisz, The Land Girls depicts three young women from very different walks of life, who join the women's land army during World War II and are sent to work together on a farm. The film is partly shot in Dulverton and on Bossington Beach, and also features West Somerset Railway’s Crowcombe Heathfield Station.

To the Manor Born

The hit 1970s BBC sit-com To the Manor Born, starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, told the story of a love-hate relationship between upper-class widow, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, and nouveau riche millionaire, Richard DeVere. The series was filmed on location in Cricket St Thomas. At the time, Cricket House (the Manor) was owned by the father-in-law of Peter Spence, the show's creator and writer. The Old Lodge, which on screen was at the end of the Manor's drive, is in fact a mile away and called West Lodge. To the Manor Born returned to our screens in 2007 with a Christmas Special showing the couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.