The UK’s Most Enchanting Filming Locations
With almost two decades of experience supplying extras across the UK and Ireland, it’s fair to say we’ve seen our share of enchanting filming locations here at Uni-versal Extras!
From remote and hard-to-reach areas of natural beauty, to historic castles and stately homes, to the most state-of-the-art filming studios the world has to offer, there’s always something new and exciting to be a part of.
With feature film and TV productions always looking for that “WOW” factor, we’ve sent our supporting artistes far and wide to be part of some incredible shoots. And now, for the very first time, we’ve had a look back and hand-picked some of our favourite spots.
So What Makes Our List Of The Coolest, Most Enchanting UK Filming Locations?
6. Hampton Court Palace, London
The UK is lucky to have a rich architectural history, and it doesn’t get much better than Hampton Court Palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Built in the baroque period for William III and Mary II, it’s easy to see why this Grade I listed royal palace has been so popular for period productions.
It was a key location in the new BBC TV production, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (2024). We also supplied artistes at Hampton Court for The Favourite (2019), which is a feature film starring the award-winning Olivia Coleman.
5. The Gower Peninsula, South Wales
One of the most remote and beautiful places in the UK, the Gower in South Wales is a mesmerising stretch of coast-line with real sandy beaches.
The Worm’s Head, pictured below, can be accessed by the adventurous at low tide, with the path becoming submerged when the waters rise. The very end of the Worm’s Head is often closed to visitors due to the presence of nesting rare migratory birds.
Uni-versal Extras cast local Welsh supporting artistes at the Gower for Season 3 of the popular Netflix TV show, Sex Education (2021).
4. Dover Castle, Kent
What’s better than a palace? Well a castle of course!
And here, we’ve got the stunning Dover Castle in Kent which is a Grade I listed, medieval beauty!
This spot was used for Disney’s Into the Woods (2015) feature film, which had an interstellar cast including Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and James Corden.
3. Cruachan Dam, Scotland
What about working as an extra for Star Wars at a real-life power station?
That’s right, in 2021 we supplied artistes to the Cruachan Dam in Argll and Brute in Scotland for the Disney series, Andor (2022). This real-life hydroelectric power station produced 705 GWh of power in 2009.
Having been involved with multiple seasons of Outlander, our artistes have been to some of the most remote locations in the highlands and lowlands of Scotland, but this location is surely one of the most iconic. An industrial site surrounded by natural beauty… stunning!
2. Windsor, Berkshire
Just a stone’s throw from our head office at Pinewood Film Studios, we’ve got to mention a town oozing with history and royalty – Windsor in Berkshire.
It’s not just the magnificent Windsor Castle that draws productions in, but the historic town and surrounding countryside as well!
So many films we’ve worked on were filmed in Windsor including Suffragette (2015), The Riot Club (2014), The Crown (2016), Bridget Jones’ Baby (2016), Avoidance – Series 2 (2024), 3 Body Problem (2024), Masters of the Air (2024), Come Away (2020) and we’re certain there will be many more to come!
1. Portsmouth Naval Base
And now, the crème de la crème…
It’s crazy to think that for the opening scene of the award-winning Les Misérables (2012), Uni-versal Extras would have its artistes working in Portsmouth, standing in a real-life (and still in use) naval dock!
That’s right, you may remember that Uni-versal Extras was the sole extras agency for Tom Hoopers feature film adaption of the hugely popular musical. We held open castings in various cities across the UK which were used to support the diverse needs of the production.
So many magical filming tricks were used to bring Les Misérables to life in such stunning style. And being cast to perform in a huge trench submerged in water with Hugh Jackman… well it doesn’t get much more epic than that!!
To say it was a once in a lifetime opportunity would be an understatement.
And that’s a wrap on our list!
Did we miss any locations that stick out to you? Let us know by leaving a testimonial to tell us where and what made your experience epic!
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