Berkeley Castle as a filming location
Due to its exceptional architecture, versatile grounds and incredible history Berkeley Castle offers a truly unique backdrop and is a popular choice for television and film productions.
We have welcomed a variety of different production genres including comedy, drama and documentaries. From one-off programmes to block buster films, our staff are well versed in dealing with film crews, set production and hundreds of Extras!
Johnny English Strikes Again
Johnny English Strikes Again is a 2018 action comedy film directed by David Kerr; it is a sequel to the film of 2011 Johnny English Reborn and the third instalment in the Johnny English series.
One night, MI7 receives a cyber-attack from an unknown entity which exposes the identities of all their current agents. They are subsequently forced to reinstate their older and inactive agents, including English, currently a geography teacher secretly training his students in espionage. However, he accidentally incapacitates the other summoned retired agents. Thus, he is tasked to complete the mission by himself, but he asks to be accompanied by his old sidekick, Bough.
Key Facts
Filmed – September 2017
Aired – October 2018
Director – Daivd Kerr
Actors – Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Jake Lacy, Emma Thompson
Poldark
Based in the late 18th century, Poldark is a British-American drama television series based on four Poldark books written by Winston Graham. The main character, Ross Poldark, is a British Army officer who returns to his home in Cornwall from the American Revolutionary War only to find that his fiancée Elizabeth Chynoweth believed him dead and is about to marry his cousin Francis Poldark. Ross attempts to restore his own fortunes by reopening one of the family's derelict tin mines. After several years, he marries Demelza Carne, a poor servant girl, and is gradually reconciled to the loss of Elizabeth's love.
Key Facts
Filmed – November 2016 & January & November 2017
Aired – June 2015 - 2017
Actors – Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ruby Bentall, Beatie Edney, Jack Farthing, Heida Reed, Kyle Soller
The White Princess
The White Princess is a 2017 British-American historical fiction television series for Starz, based on Philippa Gregory's 2013 novel of the same name and, to a lesser extent, its sequel The King's Curse. It is a sequel to The White Queen, a 2013 BBC-produced mini-series adapting three of Gregory's previous novels.
Key Facts
Filmed – June & October 2016
Aired – April to June 2017
Directors – Jamie Payne & Alex Kalymnios
Actors – Jodie Comer, Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levy, Kenneth Cranham, Essie Davie, Rossy de Palma, Richard Dillane
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley
A BBC One Documentary Drama series following a dramatic reconstruction in which Lucy Worsley revisits key events in the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives.
The production used much of the Castle including: The Great Hall; Drawing Rooms; Morning Room; Castle Gardens; Edwards Cell and Keep Steps.
Key Facts
Filmed – May 2016
Aired – December 2016
Presenter – Lucy Worsley
Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall is a British television serial first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2015. The six-part series is an adaptation of two of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, a fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More, followed by Cromwell's success in freeing the king of his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
Key Facts
Filmed – May 2014
Aired – January 2015
Director – Peter Kosminsky
Actors – Mark Rylance (Thomas Cromwell); Damian Lewis (King Henry VIII); Claire Foy (Anne Boleyn); Jonathan Pryce (Cardinal Wolsey) and Anton Lesser (Thomas More).
Awards – Golden Globe (2016) for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. BAFTA (2016) Best Leading Actor to Mark Rylance. BAFTA (2016) Best Drama Series. BAFTA TV Craft (2016) Sound: Fiction. BAFTA TV Craft (2016) Sound Fiction & Entertainment. BAFTA TV Craft (2016) Editing – Fiction.
The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses
An adaptation of William Shakespeare’s English history plays dramatising the lives of key historical figures from within the British Monarchy.
Key Facts:
Filmed – November 2014
Aired – May 2016
Director – Dominic Cooke (Olivier Award Winner)
Executive Producer – Pippa Harris, a chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee
Actors – Benedict Cumberbatch & Tom Sturridge
Galavant
Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant, lost the love of his life, Madalena, to the evil King Richard. Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his "happily ever after." But it won't be without a few twists and turns along the way.
Key Facts
Filmed – Autumn 2014 onwards
Aired – January 2015/ January 2016
The First Season averaged 4.83 million live viewers
Executive Producers – Dan Fogelman, Alan Menken, Glenn Slater Chris Koch, Kat Likkel, John Hoberg
Actors – Joshua Sasse, Timothy Omundson, Vinnie Jones
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl is a 2003 BBC television film, adapted from Philippa Gregory's novel of the same name. Centering around courtier Mary Boleyn, and her sister Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, King of England, and their competition for his affections.
This was a low production budget of £750,000. The film was shot at here at the Castle, adopting techniques unusual for an historical drama. Some scenes are shot in a confessional straight to camera "video diary" type style, and hand held cameras are used.
The cast spent four weeks in workshops improvising the script with the director.
Key Facts
Filmed – 2002
Aired – 2003
Director – Phillipa Lowthorpe
Actors – Natascha McElhone, Jodhi May, Jared Harris & Steven Mackintosh
Other Productions filmed at the Castle include:
King John
Father Brown
The One Show (BBC) – feature on the Narwhal Tusk which is an exhibit, filmed in January 2010 & aired April 2010
Escape to the Country, filmed in 2010
Digging for Britain (BBC2) – features Berkeley Castle and the annual archaeological dig, filmed in June 2010 and aired September 2010
Miss Marple
Two Ronnies Sketch “The Worm That Turned” – 1970’s
Princes in Waiting
Great Country Houses
Dead Famous