Kiri filmed in Bristol locations

Kiri 220 Channel 4 drama Kiri, starring Sarah Lancashire, used Bristol locations for a stint of filming last year that included significant use of remote camera drones.

The 4 x 60 comes from The Forge and writer Jack Thorne and also filmed in Cardiff to tell a story focussing on the abduction of a young girl, Kiri, and the blame laid at the door of her social worker, played by Lancashire (pictured).  

The August shoot took in many locations in Bristol including the Gloucester Road area.

Lancashire said of the backdrop: "We filmed all of the exteriors there. It’s Miriam’s patch. It’s fantastic, vibrant, really colourful, really edgy [and] completely non-conformist, which is very much who she is. They sort of complement one another - it was a really good place to film."

Other city locations seen in the drama include St Andrews Park, The Downs, the Cumberland Basin area, Napier Road and the Bear Pit. Other streets are seen in driving shots. 

Bristol Film Office worked closely with the production team to negotiate special permissions for drone filming above the city whilst also facilitating recces, arranging vehicle access, road closures, bollard removal and tree cutting.

Location manager Jason Keatley said: "It was a pleasure filming Kiri in around the city of Bristol, with a massive helping hand from the film office who were incredibly accommodating in helping us achieve our goals at some tricky locations. 

“When facing particular issues regarding the flying of drones in certain locations, thankfully they came up with solutions to keep all parties happy. I look forward to returning to Bristol on future projects, a city that is genuinely film-friendly with excellent location support."
 

Kiri


Bristol Film Office’s Natalie Moore said: “This particular shoot involved a large amount of drone shooting, which is steadily rising in popularity in TV production. Making this possible required a great deal of liaison with park authorities and other partners to arrange special permissions, given the new drone regulations and bylaws introduced last year.

“I’m pleased to say we were able to help the production realise their ambitions to film above green spaces like St Andrews Park and The Downs, whilst helping to ensure normal activity like summer grass cutting didn’t affect continuity. We were also able to link the production with private properties like Hamilton House so that drones could be flown above the Gloucester Road area. 

“The result is some really stunning on-screen footage of Bristol from the skies, which I think will really complement and accentuates Kiri’s compelling storyline.”

Bristol Film Office now issues official guidance for filming with drones, that are technically referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). New city regulations introduced last year now allow the flying of drones in designated areas in three Bristol parks.

Other sites require special permissions that can be negotiated and arranged by the film office. Model planes must weigh 7kg or less without fuel and operators of the aircraft must be a member of the British Model Flying Association and have public liability insurance.

Kiri follows other recent productions to use Bristol for filming including Three Girls, Broadchurch, Thirteen, Stan & Ollie and The Guernsey Literary Potato and Peel Pie Society. 

Location photo via Bristol Film Office; Sarah Lancashire photo via Channel 4. 



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