Lights, camera, action! Hollywood may be a good few miles west and London’s Pinewood and Elstree studios may be a train journey away, but Liverpool has its very own history when it comes to film and TV.
That’s right, some major Hollywood productions have used the Merseyside as their backdrop. Whether crediting Liverpool itself or masquerading as somewhere else, bringing Hollywood blockbusters to the city helps boost the local economy and produce opportunities for talented Liverpudlians. Just look at the success of stars like Jodie Comer and Jason Isaacs. So, here are three films you might not have realised that were filmed in Liverpool.
#DIDYOUKNOW | Liverpool is the most filmed UK city outside of the capital📽ï¸ﾏ
The city has been the backdrop for The 51st State, Sherlock Holmes, Nowhere Boy, Captain America and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – to name just a few! #FactFriday pic.twitter.com/lZaN18mrbO
— Culture Liverpool (@CultureLPool) September 6, 2019
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
The 2009 feature Sherlock Holmes saw Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law venture to Liverpool for some iconic scenes shot for the film. Sherlock Holmes has been made and remade countless times, sometimes sticking closely to the books as the 2009 version did, and sometimes adapting the formula such as the Benedict Cumberbatch BBC series, and the Jonny Lee-Miller-fronted CBS show, Elementary, where Watson is portrayed by Lucy Liu.
Indeed, the character of Sherlock Holmes returns, but is a lot beefier and fits a different character type. Given how many variations of the super sleuth there have been, from video games, and online slots on sites like Space Casino, for example, with their Holmes and the Stolen Stones slot, it makes sense that producers working on the series expand out of the London and Baker Street aesthetic atmosphere. In doing this, the industry allows its audiences to explore often hidden scenic locations across the country, such as in the scenes shot in Liverpool.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010)
The Mersey Tunnel may be used by over 90,000 motorists, but it was used by one very magical motorist in 2010 when the first half of the final Harry Potter instalment saw Hagrid and Harry (in his sidecar) racing down the tunnel while being pursued by Death Eaters.
2015 saw another JK Rowling project head to the city when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them arrived in the city. Liverpool’s St Georges Hall and the Cunard Building were used to replicate 1920s New York City. Including Liverpool in such global blockbusters means that the city will be viewed by those in other countries who may consider the UK to just be London and Edinburgh.
#HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows crew filmed in the Queensway tunnel, #Liverpool in 2009. pic.twitter.com/rtmfSWKzbH
— ScouseScene (@scousescene) November 23, 2015
The Hunt for Red October (1989)
Going back through the archives, the Tom Clancy novel-turned Sean Connery blockbuster, The Hunt for Red October, used William Brown Street in Liverpool to replicate Russia. Adding some fake snow and some classic Ushanka hats transformed one of the main streets of Liverpool into somewhere deep in the heart of the Soviet Union. Action movies are often looking for iconic locations in order to give fans something that they haven’t seen before. Given that the action trope has been used over and over again, the Hollywood Hills and streets of New York no longer cut it, so using somewhere like Liverpool can perfectly encapsulate something that hasn’t been seen on screen before. Even if it is pretending to be snowy Russia.
Liverpool is a fun and vibrant city, with countless historical locations that help take a film from good to great. It’s no surprise that Liverpool has been used so many times in film and TV and will no doubt continue to do so.