Somerset film and TV bonanza as crews need more places to stay

Film and television production spent nearly £3m in Somerset in the last year - and the blockbusting trend means they need more places to stay. There have been major shoots in Cheddar Gorge, Street, Shepton Mallet, Minehead and Norton St Philip over the last 12 months.

Somerset Council's film office says that along with many smaller TV shows and documentaries, this has seen an estimated £2.8m of production spend in the county, compared to an estimated £1.1m in the financial year 2023-24. It is urging Somerset’s accommodation providers to put themselves forward as lodgings for crew.

Filming in Somerset is arranged through Screen Somerset, which is part of Somerset Council and supported by funding from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). It aims to make Somerset as film friendly as possible, assisting filmmakers in finding their perfect location in the county and helping shoots run smoothly so they are keen to come back.

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Screen Somerset provides a single point of contact, local knowledge, and works with the council’s highways, parking and property services. It is now proactively promoting the county to regional, national and international location managers.

Crew often stay locally when filming and Visit Somerset is compiling a list of ‘film friendly’ accommodation to help productions quickly find suitable lodgings. Film friendly accommodation needs to be open to discounted group rates, flexible around changing schedules and anti-social hours, and have good parking and IT connectivity.

Accommodation providers can put themselves forward for the Visit Somerset listing, free of charge, by emailing info@visitsomerset.co.uk.

Councillor Mike Rigby, lead member for economic development planning and assets, said: "We have a stunning and varied county and it’s fantastic to see so many productions coming our way as Screen Somerset raises our profile on the national and international stage. As well as the direct income when productions are in town, there’s is big scope to use filming to attract more visitors and possible spin-offs for local skills and employment. It really is all for the greater good."

In 2023-24, the estimated high end TV and feature film spend across all English regions outside London was £213m, with the South West region benefiting to the tune of around £22m.

Charlotte Wood, production liaison manager for the South West region at Filming in England, said: "We are incredibly proud to work closely with Screen Somerset as part of the Filming in England Partnership. Their achievements over the past year demonstrate how vital regional filming is to the UK’s thriving screen sector.

"Production activity in Somerset, and the wider South West, not only showcases the region’s stunning locations and film-friendliness, but also highlights the economic and cultural benefits that filming can bring to local communities. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Screen Somerset to support the growth of this key industry outside of London."

John Turner, CEO of Visit Somerset, said: "Film location work and film tourism as we know brings considerable amounts of money and interest into our county. I am delighted that finally Somerset is being recognised by potential film production teams for its incredible locations, history, and heritage.

"The whole film location movement is really helping to ensure Somerset is seen in a new light. Visit Somerset is committed in its partnership with Screen Somerset to make sure that as many businesses within the county can gain as much from these investments as much as our visitors enjoy the added value experiences that film tourism brings."