With stunning and grand locations scattered across Merseyside, it’s no surprise that many films and TV shows choose to film scenes in Liverpool and the surrounding area.
We’ve all been there when we’re watching a film or TV show and recognise a location that we insist is nearby. We rewind and pause the scene, and immediately head to Google for any evidence to prove we’re right.
Iconic films and TV shows have filmed in Merseyside for decades, from Marvel blockbusters to Netflix dramas. The ECHO has looked back at a number of locations that appear in scenes that many of us walk past everyday.
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With props and greenscreens, some of the places can look very different, especially if they’ve been transformed to look like they’re from a completely different decade or country.
Liverpool Town Hall
The city’s Grade I-listed Town Hall is a Georgian masterpiece that doubled-up as 1980s Moscow in the film The Hunt for the Red October starring Sean Connery. Chariots of Fire also filmed at the venue which was used as the British Embassy in Paris where the Olympians attended a ball. Tolkein, the biopic about the Lord of the Rings writer, used Liverpool Town Hall back in 2017 where actors in period costume were spotted filming.
Stanley Dock
Liverpool landmark Stanley Dock has kept much of its original architecture, including its Victorian red-brick buildings and cobbled streets. This makes it the perfect location to shoot films and shows set in previous decades, as well as doubling up as New York.
Stanley Dock features in hit BBC show Peaky Blinders when Tommy Shelby and his gang confront Billy Kimber and his crew in the street. The location is also used in Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger when Steve Rogers chases after a bad guy following his transformation, and in Sherlock Holmes when Sherlock and Watson are travelling in a carriage around the docks.
Water Street
One of Liverpool’s most iconic streets appeared in Florence Foster Jenkins where it was completely transformed to look like 1940s New York with the help of digitally added skyscrapers. Water Street is also seen in the 2001 film 51st State starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the TV series The City and The City where Liverpool is used as one of the fictional European cities in the show.
Prescot Street
Boys from the Blackstuff filmed in various locations across Liverpool, including Prescot Street where what is believed to have been a former police station was used. The Green Man pub was another location the TV show filmed at, although it has since been demolished.
Cunard Building
The Grade II* listed building located at the Pier Head is the ideal location for period films and shows. Netflix’s The Crown filmed at the Cunard Building in 2018 which was used for scenes set in Washington.
Bank of England
The former Bank of England building on Castle Street appeared in the 2001 film The Parole Officer. The comedy, which stars Steve Coogan, used the Liverpool building as the bank where the heist takes place in the film.
Queensway Tunnel
The tunnel that runs under the River Mersey linking Birkenhead and Liverpool has been used for filming numerous times. The Queensway Tunnel was the perfect location for filming a high-speed car chase in Fast & Furious 6, while the location was also used in Sky’s Bulletproof police drama.
World Museum Liverpool
World Museum Liverpool on William Brown Street appears in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father. The scene shows Gerry Conlon (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) giving an emotional speech on the steps of the courtroom, which is in fact the museum.
St George’s Hall
One of Liverpool’s most iconic buildings has featured in various films, including Nowhere Boy about John Lennon’s teenage life. Most recently, St George’s Hall appeared in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with the building being used as a New York location where the political rally takes place.
Falkner Street
This city centre street was used for scenes set in post-World War II London in the TV show Foyle’s War. Michael Kitchen, who plays Christopher Foyle, and Honeysuckle Weeks, who plays Samantha Stewart, are seen walking along a bustling Falkner Street that was dressed for the 1950s period.
Playhouse Theatre
The theatre on William Brown Street was used for stage scenes in Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. Peter (played by Jamie Bell) and Gloria (played by Annette Bening) are seen reciting lines from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet on the stage at the Playhouse Theatre.
Have you spotted any other Liverpool locations in films and TV shows? Let us know in the comments section below.
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