Explore Britain’s Film & TV Highlights

A location scout’s dream, Great Britain is the ultimate film and TV setting. From the worldwide success of its films and TV shows to its many famous filming locations, Britain’s definitely got talent. Wizarding sagas, kitchen sink dramas, suave secret agent stories, Welsh noir, tales of time-travelling doctors, the soapiest of soap operas, classic English baddies, fully-corseted costume dramas, cunning plans, cheesy rom-coms and even a rom-zom-com… British film and TV is box office dynamite.

Read on to discover the best of Britain as seen on screen (you’ll find the uncut version on our Lavishly Produced Great British Film & TV Map). Coming soon… road trip!

Cardiff

A hotspot of weird and wonderful televisual happenings including Doctor Who, Torchwood, Holby and Sherlock, not to mention Wales's own soap opera Pobol Y Cwm. Take a tour of the many film and TV locations around town, including Giovanni's restaurant, the Packet pub (both Sherlock locations) and Ianto's shrine (Torchwood), head to Dunraven Bay, where David Tennant's Doctor said an emotional goodbye to Rose (Billie Piper), or go see what's occurrin' on Barry Island, the main location for Gavin and Stacey. Cardiff also has some fantastic film festivals and screenings on offer, at places like Chapter, which also hosts the monthly Bad Film Club.

Chatsworth 

Doubling as Mr Darcy's home Pemberley several times, including in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice and TV versions of Death Comes to Pemberley, Chatsworth House is a very popular film tourist destination, closely associated as it is with one of Britain's biggest exports, the costume drama. It hosted Keira Knightley a second time for The Duchess, and other screen credits include werewolf horror The Wolfman (starring Anthony Hopkins and Benico del Toro), and an episode of Midsomer Murders when the victim is killed whilst attending a Jane Austen-themed weekend (maybe they're running out of victims in Midsomer itself...)

aberystwyth

Home of Welsh noir, the atmospheric locations in and around 'Aber' provide the perfect setting for Y Gwyll / Hinterland. Each November, have your blood truly chilled at Abertoir, the International Horror Festival of Wales. On a less gory note, the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales is based here, possessing an unrivaled collection of Welsh and Wales-related moving images, including The Life Story of David Lloyd-George (1918, one of the earliest biopics). And did you know that Sue Jones-Davies, who played Judith Iscariot in Monty Python's Life of Brian, was Mayor of Aberystwyth from 2008 – 2009? Yup.

Highclere

“Do you think I might have a drink? Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought you were a waiter.” Downton Abbey, home to the fictional Crawley family and dowager countess Violet's top-class put-downs, has been filmed at Highclere since the start, and fans will find much to enjoy on a visit. It's not the first time that Maggie Smith has filmed here, however, as back in 1982 her character in Michael Palin's The Missionary called the Hampshire castle home too. Highclere doubled as Totleigh Towers in Jeeves and Wooster, and Stanley Kubrick also used the salon for the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut. What on earth would the countess have said?

Glenfinnan

Catch the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films as it steams over what could be Britain's best known filming location, the Glenfinnan viaduct. Otherwise known to mere Muggles as the Jacobite, the steam train runs from Fort William to Mallaig, a spectacular route. Once at Glenfinnan, climb to the top of the monument for amazing views of Loch Shiel, another Harry Potter filming location (the Black Lake). And there's more... just past Glenfinnan, the train travels along the banks of Loch Eilt, whose island Eilean na Moine, was Dumbledore's final resting place. Glenfinnan also featured in Charlotte Grey and Ring Of Bright Water.

Glen coe

There can be only one... Glen Coe, one of Britain's real A-list filming locations, where credits include Highlander, Skyfall, Rob Roy, Harry Potter and Braveheart. Which iconic film moment will you recreate on your visit? Richard Hannay scrambling across the glen in Hitchcock's classic, The 39 Steps? James Bond driving with M through Glen Etive to Skyfall? Crossing the Bridge of Death in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, at the Meeting of the Three Waters? The pyramidal form of Buachaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe's major landmark and one of Britain's most recognisable mountains, looms large in several of these films. 5 stars.

Glasgow

"There's been a murder." There have also been some great films shot in Glasgow, as DCI Taggart might agree. Glasgow has frequently stood in for other locations: London (in two instalments of the Fast & Furious series), San Francisco (Cloud Atlas), Philadelphia (World War Z), Paris (Outlander) and Edinburgh in Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. The Dear Green Place has also been the setting of many a fine film, including Red Road, Under the Skin, Ratcatcher, The Wife, Ae Fond Kiss and the joyous That Sinking Feeling (which, at the time, held the record for being the cheapest feature ever made). Check out the Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow Film Festival and Rogano restaurant, as seen in Patrick Melrose.

Forest of Dean

In the words of local boy Frank Oz, as Yoda, “patience you must have, my young padawan." The magical and mysterious Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean is the location for all sorts of fantasy adventures, including - appropriately - Star Wars: The Force Awakens, whose producer called Puzzlewood "the most magical forest on the face of the earth!" The forest also features in Doctor Who, Merlin and Atlantis. Close by, where the River Wye meanders around Coppet Hill and Symonds Yat, is another key location in both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (the wintry scene where Hermione recalls once visiting the Forest with her parents) and the hit TV series Sex Education.

Oxford

A true classic of British film locations, Oxford benefits from those famous dreaming spires, the stunning architecture of its university buildings. So many films, so many iconic scenes: Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, A Fish Called Wanda, Howards End, The Madness of King George, Wilde, Saving Private Ryan, Quills and Iris, to name a few. But one character is perhaps more associated with Oxford than any other: Morse (and his younger self, Endeavour). Stop for a drink in the Morse Bar (which Lewis continued to visit in subsequent series), take one of the many walking tours, or visit nearby Blenheim Palace, location of many films, including the car chase at the beginning of Spectre.

North York Moors

With Dark Sky Discovery status, the North York Moors are a great place to look at the stars, featuring as they did on The Sky at Night, the long-running astronomy programme (Sir Patrick Moore held a record for presenting the same show for 55 years!). For stars of the film and TV variety, visit Goathland, the location for Heartbeat and Hogsmeade train station in the Harry Potter films, Thirsk for the World of James Herriot (as in All Creatures Great and Small) or Whitby for Dracula, Kavanagh QC, Dalziel and Pascoe, Shackleton and Phantom Thread (Daniel Day-Lewis' final film role). On your way home, stop at Castle Howard, aka Brideshead.

South bank

Pretend you're in a British rom-com by taking your date for a walk along the South Bank, following in the footsteps of Hugh Grant (About A Boy), Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey) and others. The iconic riverside and skyline is one of London's most popular filming spots, flaunted to great effect in Spectre (Westminster Bridge), Doctor Who (London Eye), Thor: The Dark World (OXO Brasserie), Guardians of the Galaxy (Millennium Bridge) and 28 Days Later (Westminster Bridge). For all your British film-related needs, pop into the BFI, home to one of the world's largest film archives, the Reuben Library and the enormous the iMAX, just round the corner.

Skye

If Skye were a film, it would be a multiple Oscar-winner. It's all about the glorious landscape up here. Head over the sea to Skye (as the Skye Boat Song, Outlander's theme tune, puts it) to get a glimpse... Macbeth, The BFG, Stardust, The Land that Time Forgot, Flash Gordon, Snow White and the Huntsman, Prometheus, The Wicker Man, 47 Ronin and Breaking the Waves all have key scenes here. The scene from Highlander where Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery's characters practise their sword fighting is here too. For more inspiration, check out the Skye Mountain Festival and the many adventure films shot here.

Roooooooad trip!

Hit the road on a British film & TV-themed adventure, picture yourself in your favourite scenes and admire the finest scenery in the land as you go. Here you can download a map of Britain’s top 50 film & TV locations, all of them connected by a rather ambitious road trip…

Get The Map

The best of Britain as seen on screen (including the top 12 locations above) is the subject of our Lavishly Produced Great British Film & TV Map. Available in 3 formats (fold-out, flat or framed) from £14.99. If you’ve got the map and have any feedback or suggestions for the next edition, we’d love to hear from you - email us at hello@marvellousmaps.com.