Filming is taking place at the historic Shepton Mallet Prison this week. But what exactly is being filmed remains a mystery in the popular tourist destination, which is known for its ghost tours.
A spokesman for the prison told Somerset Live that a film production is taking place until March 31 and that the tourist attraction has been partially closed to the public. He said: “We currently have a production on-going at the prison. I haven’t been informed of what it is myself so unfortunately I can’t tell you what it is.
He confirmed: “Filming is taking place across the prison between March 27 and March 31. We will be back fully open on April 1.” Some events will still be taking place with guided tours running as usual from 2pm onwards on March 27 and 28, while ghost tours will run as usual from March 30 from 8.30pm.
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Shepton Mallet has often been used by filmmakers as a set for a variety of productions since becoming a heritage-led attraction in 2017. The prison has been home to some famous criminals including the notorious gangster twins from London, Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
Inmate Zero was also filmed for six weeks in May 2018. The horror film takes place on an isolated island where a medical trial results in a zombie outbreak. During filming for Casualty, a BBC One Drama series, the riot scene in C-Wing saw the team setting fire to numerous rolls of toilet paper.
April 2019 brought the filming of The Trial of Christine Keeler, a drama series based on a chain of events surrounding the Profumo affair in the 1960s. BBC One series Murder Mystery and My Family filmed episode eight of series four at Shepton Mallet Prison. The show saw barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein re-examine the story of the 'Bath Wife Murderer'.
Scenes for DES, a TV mini-series featuring David Tennant as Dennis Neilson, a serial killer, were filmed at Shepton Mallet Prison. One of the very first productions filmed at Shepton Mallet Prison was Paddington 2 in 2017. The two establishing prison shots that saw Paddington behind bars came about when he was wrongly convicted of theft in the movie.
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