In film, television, on screen, Attractions, movies

Leicester and Leicestershire are full of film and TV history, from locations used in world famous shows to props and places to see key moments in film history.

From being used as a location for TV shows and films as diverse as Adrian Mole and The Crown and as the home of stars of stage and screen, Leicestershire is the perfect location to go ‘set-jetting’. Discover some iconic locations that will be familiar from the silver screen, and get a taste of Hollywood with props and opportunities to meet the stars.

Take a trip around our film locations

Belvoir Castle is home to the Duchess of Rutland, but this beautiful Regency building also stood in for Windsor Castle in Netflix’s The Crown. Its iconic crenelated turrets have also been seen in The Da Vinci Code, The Young Victoria, The Haunting and Young Sherlock Holmes.

When a film or TV show needs a historic railway, the chances are they’ll come to the Great Central Railway! Its steam trains and lovingly restored stations make it the perfect location for period dramas and historic films. The Crown, Victoria, Shadowlands, Goodnight Mr Tom and Stan & Ollie, starring John C Reilly and Steve Coogan all had scenes filmed right here.

The iconic folly ‘Old John’ is known to all true Leicestarians, but it formed the backdrop for a more Nottingham-based tale as it can be seen in the backdrop of scenes of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, which filmed in Bradgate Park.

And we can't finish without mentioning Melton Road and Belgrave Gate, otherwise known as Leicester's Golden Mile, which has become massvely popular with Bollywood producers looking for a taste of India in the UK.

Check out all the Leicestershire filming locations here

Discover the secrets behind The Lost King

Leicester got its own moment in the sun with the release of The Lost King, starring Steve Coogan and Sally Hawkins (plus Game of Thrones stars Harry Lloyd and Mark Addy), which told the story of the discovery of King Richard III.

With key scenes filmed on the streets of Leicester and the retelling of the greatest lost and found story ever told, if you want to see the place where history was made, then Leicester’s Old Town is where to start, with the King Richard III Visitor Centre showcasing the story along with his history on film. You can then pop across to Leicester Cathedral to see his last resting place.

Richard’s famous Shakespearean line “My Kingdom For a Horse” has been uttered by such legends as Laurence Olivier, Sir Ian McKellen and Benedict Cumberbatch (who is actually a direct descendent of Richard III and spoke at his reinterment). The real life location of his final battle can be found right here in Leicestershire, just outside the town of Market Bosworth at the Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre.

Follow in the footsteps of King Richard III

Our local legends and icons

Leicester is famous as the home of the Attenborough brothers. Lord Richard Attenborough wowed audiences for many years in films such as Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, Jurassic Park and Miracle on 34th Street. He made his acting debut at Leicester’s Little Theatre in 1937, playing Lucius in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

Sir David Attenborough needs no introduction as the voice of the natural world and one of our country’s best loved presenters. You can see the house that the brothers grew up in on the University of Leicester campus, plus pay a visit to the Attenborough Arts Centre and Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, where David spent many happy hours as a child.

The stardom doesn’t stop there, with many actors and directors hailing from the city, there’s clearly something in the air. Parminder Nagra (ER and Bend It Like Beckham), Richard Armitage (The Hobbit), Dominic Keating (Star Trek), Graham Chapman (Monty Python) and Steven Frears (Director of My Beautiful Laundrette, Victoria and Abdul and of course The Lost King) all hail from Leicester and Leicestershire.

As a manufacturing city, Leicester has also contributed lots to the movie industry. Pallitoy, which was based in Coalville in North Leicestershire, was the company that produced the iconic original Star Wars figures, many of which sell for huge amounts now. A commemorative roundabout on Grange Road in Coalville takes the form of the iconic Death Star when seen from above.

Leicester is also responsible for producing the lenses which transformed Hollywood. Taylor-Hobson was a lens-making company founded in Leicester in 1886, and at one point supplied 80% of the film camera lenses used by film studios around the world! When we watch Hollywood cinema, we’re doing so through ‘eyes’ made right here in Leicester!

Take a look at our Leicester inventions and firsts

Film props and memorabilia

The Triumph Factory Visitor Centre near Hinckley is home to a number of iconic motorbikes from film history. Their exhibition, which is free to enter, includes the bike Steve McQueen rode in The Great Escape, Tom Cruise’s bike from Mission Impossible and The Triumph Tiger 900 and Scrambler 1200 motorcycles which feature in key stunt scenes in the 25th James Bond film No Time To Die. You can also see bikes that were featured in the Terminator and Jurassic World franchises.

At the National Space Centre you can not only see Buzz Aldrin’s actual space underwear, you can also see Matt Damon’s spacesuit from The Martian and they host regular special events where you can meet the stars of sci fi franchises like Doctor Who, Star Wars and other Brit Sci-Fi!

In North West Leicestershire, Ashby de la Zouch is now home to a ‘Paddington bench’, where you can have your picture taken alongside the world famous bear. Launched as part of Paddington Visits, a trail of 23 Paddington Bear statues across the UK and Ireland were installed to celebrate the release of Paddington in Peru. Visitors to Ashby can stop and get a selfie with this meticulously crafted and painted statue of the famous bear in his signature red hat, blue duffle coat, and of course, a marmalade sandwich in paw.

Leicester’s Phoenix Cinema is not only a fantastic four screen independent cinema showing the very latest blockbusters and indie films, it also hosts regular film-themed workshops, talks from directors and filmmakers, exhibitions and special events and seasons focused on a variety of different film genres.

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