British Comedy Guide

Have you ever seen a sitcom being recorded in your locality?

The MInder car lot used to be in my road, so I did see Denis Waterman & George Cole around from time to time
But the only sitcom I remember seeing being filmed was an episode of Spaced when they used the office block where I worked
I popped out for a Ciggie and saw Simon Pegg lying on, a mattress, made awkward eye contact and then I moved round the corner
After seeing it later I think it was an episode where they were getting some artwork from some office in a Matrix style
The episode ends with their mate on a bike getting into the sound of the traffic signals like they are rave music

Oh and I remember my mate telling me he'd seen the Only Fools and Horses crew filming in Putney Cemetery, which turned out to be the Granddad funeral episode

Last Of The Summer Wine regularly.
Holmfirth where it was filmed is a pokey little village with lots of narrow cobbled roads.
Sid's café and Nora Batty's house are there.
I once followed the cast and film crew up a steep hill with no chance of passing them so they asked if I would hang back out of shot. I was glad to, it was fascinating watching the flat back truck full of lights, cameras and film people.

Didn't actually see it being recorded but I specifically tuned in to The Inbetweeners episode The Field Trip (hadn't particularly watched the programme until then) because the blurb in the TV listings read: As the new term begins in January, the boys are going on the annual Geography and Sociology field trip to Swanage and I have spent many happy holidays in Swanage over the years. I thought it would be good to look out for some familiar haunts.

However, imagine my surprise (as they say) when, as I watched it, it was quite obvious that it wasn't Swanage at all but in fact just a 10 minute stroll down the road from where I live on the Sussex coast. Why they thought they should market it as Swanage I've no idea.

Phone Shop was filmed in a couple of different empty shops in Sutton High Street.

Think I saw a film crew in Folkestone filming Catterick.

Quote: Paul Wimsett @ 5th September 2021, 9:30 PM

Think I saw a film crew in Folkestone filming Catterick.

Or was it a film crew in Catterick filming Folkestone?

No unfortunately not, in any of the places I've lived in. Films, yes but not sitcoms. and doubt I ever will since they hardly make any now. :(

I'm sure I saw Norman Wisdom down the Minder Car lot road as well, and they'd changed one of the shop fronts, but I can't work out what that might have been for.
And they did a Game for a laugh stunt with a fake Gorrilla in a cage, so got to say hi to Beadle ( and get in the background of the stunt when it was on telly dancing around with my mates like an idiot )
Also in the same road there is a massive archive building that used to be owned by the post office that looks quite impressive, I'm sure that's been used in plenty of things as it could pass for a Russian government building or something like that

As Goodlad mentioned last of the Summer wine being filmed near him, I imagine they probably use a lot of small northern villages when they want to do something set in the past, and also Yorkshire is very pretty to look at as well

WHY, I didn't understand at the time, come all the way to Ipswich, of all places to record a street market scene - you'd have thought they could have found somewhere "closer to home".

Anyway, in "The Frog's Legacy" the market scene was filmed in Seymour Road......................

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Nice one!

I guess London is just much more difficult to get anywhere quiet / uncrowded these days, they shoot at dawn if they want any landmarks included
There's a road off Tower Bridge which is very cobbled with quaint shops and I definitely remember one day when it had all been Victorianed up for a day but no idea what they were filming

Brighton's always being used, as it's so close to London. The remake of Quadrophenia was filmed in Eastbourne, though.

A few of my mates were extras in Quadrophenia. They were scooter boys, they drove around town and were in the beach fights. They got £38 per day.

As Goodlad mentioned last of the Summer wine being filmed near him, I imagine they probably use a lot of small northern villages when they want to do something set in the past, and also Yorkshire is very pretty to look at as well

In Loving Memory was filmed in a small Halifax village called Luddenden (there's a name) That is also a hilly cobbled place.
And the new series of Gentleman Jack is being filmed now at Shibden Hall Halifax. It's a museum when not being used for filming.

A new series of Gentleman Jack? Great news!

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 6th September 2021, 12:28 AM

WHY, I didn't understand at the time, come all the way to Ipswich, of all places to record a street market scene - you'd have thought they could have found somewhere "closer to home".
Anyway, in "The Frog's Legacy" the market scene was filmed in Seymour Road......................

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Didn't occur to me until this morning - Seymour Road is a dead end, so it must have been a logistical nightmare for people living at the bottom half of the road. They must have got the nod from all concerned living there.

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I guess the rest of the location filming would have been done in the area in one session - there's the big wedding scene, the church by the sea etc etc They wouldn't want to schlep the whole film crew back to London just to shoot the market scene (travel day at full-rate). Probably got local crew, gear & extras (all cheaper) as well as the locations being less pricey.

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