Wales: film and TV production is moving west
Wales has been busy over the last few years establishing a name for itself as a thriving production hub, with both international and UK producers choosing the country for shooting major feature films and TV dramas.
There is no question that flagship shows such as Doctor Who have boosted the profile of Wales as a filming hub, with the show now being screened in around 50 countries around the world.
However, Hollywood money is also showcasing Welsh locations, with dramas such as FX’s The Bastard Executioner perfectly demonstrating the variety of historic locations on offer.
Also working in Wales’ favour and encouraging productions to head across the Severn Bridge is Pinewood Studios’ facility a few minutes from Cardiff, with 70,000 sq ft of shooting space.
With the help of Production Intelligence, we take a look at some of the films and dramas that are heading west to use Welsh locations and crew.
The Collection
French production company Federation Entertainment and the UK’s Lookout Point are joining forces for The Collection, which marks Amazon’s first original UK drama series. In eight hour-long episodes the show explores the world of high fashion in 1940s Paris, and comes from Ugly Betty and Pretty Little Liars creator Oliver Goldstick. With some shooting taking place in Paris, the Welsh production hub is at Swansea Bay Studios.
Britannia
Britannia is a major new drama series about the birth of Britain from Roman times onwards. The 10 x 60 project for Sky has been in the pipeline for some time and is slated to shoot in Wales. Much of the project is under wraps but it is thought to chart the rise of female warrior Boudicca following the Roman invasion of what went on to become Great Britain.
His Dark Materials
The news that seasoned BBC drama producers Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner have chosen Wales as the home for their production company, Bad Wolf, has also helped raised the country’s profile, particularly as their first project is a major TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, made in conjunction with New Line Cinema for BBC One.
A studio has yet to be selected as the base for the production – Tranter and Gardner have already said the majority will be filmed on sound stages – but in the running are bound to be Pinewood and the nearby Dragon Studios, recently revitalised for the full-series run of the now-cancelled The Bastard Executioner.
A Nation’s Health
Veteran screenwriter Andrew Davis is hard at work on A Nation’s Health, an exploration of the tempestuous marriage of NHS founder Aneurin Bevan and Jennie Lee. The feature-length single drama comes from Modern Television, the Cardiff-based shingle founded by Griff Rhys Jones, who will produce. The company also made the critially-acclaimed A Poet in New York, starring Tom Hollander.
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Class
Gearing up for a five-month shoot at a Welsh studio is Class, a Doctor Who spin-off for BBC Three. The eight episodes Young Adult drama series is written by Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls) and is set in a contemporary London where dangers are breaking through the walls of time and space. Steven Moffat exec produces alongside Ness and Brian Minchin.
Ordinary Lies 2
The second series of Red Production Company’s anthology drama Ordinary Lies is set to shoot in Wales, aiming for production in the spring.
The first series, which filmed in Manchester, was set in a car showroom and featured the backstories of the staff, revolving around a common theme of the consequences of deceit.
The new run, once again comprising 6 x 60 comes from the pen of Danny Brocklehurst and is this time centres on the workforce at a major sporting goods company. Emily Feller produces.
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Sherlock 4
As with all things Sherlock-related, precise details of planned locations are under wraps, but we can tell you that there are two location managers on board Series 4: one for London and one for Wales...
The four-month shoot is due to get underway in early April with Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat penning all three episodes. Sue Vertue produces for Hartswood Films.
The country also hosts regular returning shows such as Ruth Jones’ comedy drama Stella, which films in the Rhonda valley town of Ferndale, and the dark detective drama Hinterland, which is set against the remote cragginess of Ceredigion.
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With a growing international audience watching what Wales has to offer, it seems the future is set fair for the Kingdom of the Celts as a destination for film and TV production.
Production Intelligence has listings for over 7,000 titles, at all stages of production. Non-subscribers can click here for a free demo, where they will be shown remotely around the site.
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