Filming boom continues to boost Stockport economy

Stockport continues to be lauded as top filming location for UK productions, after recently appearing on screen as the backdrop for ITV crime drama, After the Flood.

Although set in Yorkshire, an old underground car park was the backdrop for the pivotal discovery of the body in After the Flood, while the town’s Market Hall was also the filming location for scenes in the fourth episode.

This latest moment in the spotlight comes as Stockport continues to celebrate being this year’s Greater Manchester Town of Culture, with the borough fast gaining a reputation as the ‘Hollywood of the North’ after many high-quality TV and film productions have chosen to use the borough as a backdrop. This includes the latest smash hit Netflix Harlan Coben-penned drama Fool Me Once. Filming before Christmas in the borough was BBC comedy Daddy Issues, also starring home grown Stockport actress Aimee Lou Wood.

Other shows or films using the borough as a backdrop have included 2023’s The Power of Parker, BBC hit Peaky Blinders, Channel 4’s It’s a Sin, COBRA from Sky, and Netflix’s adaptations of Harlan Coben novels; Disney+ and Amazon have also both filmed productions in the town.

Figures from Filming in England show since January 2018 there have been more than 197 shoot days in Stockport with an estimated production spend of over £3.5 million.

Jonny Shelton, Production Liaison Manager, North West and Midlands for Creative England, said:

“It has been a pleasure to work so closely with Stockport’s local authority to support the local film and tv sector in recent years.

“Stockport Council – members of our Filming in England Partnership – make full use of their flexible and supportive approach to ensure that Location Managers, working on HETV Dramas and Features, are able to maximise their presence when shooting in the area.

“As a result, the area has a strong reputation in the industry and is one of the busiest locations in the North West, which is aided further by Stockport’s wide range of locations and period architecture – plus its ideal proximity into the production hubs of Manchester and Liverpool.

“We look forward to seeing the sector develop further in the future and continuing to work closely with the brilliant people in Stockport.”

The increased demand to use Stockport as a filming location brings huge benefits for the area, as well as the wider Greater Manchester region and include:

• Employment opportunities it creates for local crew members, many of these will be based in Stockport (including one of the Location Managers who worked on Amazon’s ‘How to Date Billy Walsh’), as well as work experience opportunities for Stockport students;
• Filming inside business premises and work for local suppliers including security companies, caterers, kit hire, chaperones and tutors who look after children;
• Opportunity for income generation for the Local Authority from paid for services used during productions such as Parking, Highways, Parks/Greenspaces and Property/Assets through venue hire;
• Opportunity to bring visitors who are fans of certain productions into the town and the boost for local hospitality and leisure businesses.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, said:

“It’s wonderful Stockport has become such a popular location for filming and it’s great watching programmes and spotting places we are so familiar with taking pride of place on screen. We are lucky that thanks to Stockport’s history and geography, we can offer such unique locations.”

Cllr Frankie Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Sport at Stockport Council, said:

“Thanks to the council’s dedicated staff working collaboratively with partner organisations and supportive businesses, this helps to bring real benefits to the local economy by raising our profile and putting us firmly on the production and tourism map as we continue to celebrate all things in this year of Stockport being the Greater Manchester town of culture.”