News / Arts
JK Rowling’s Casual Vacancy filmed in Bristol
It can today be revealed that filming of the TV drama based on JK Rowling’s first adult novel The Casual Vacancy took place in Bristol last year.
The three-part mini-series filmed in the city in July and August 2014 at locations including Ashton Vale, Ashton Court and Flax Bourton mortuary.
Where was The Casual Vacancy filmed?
Silbury Road in Ashton Vale doubles for The Fields, the novel’s housing estate where many of the scenes take place.
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Houses on the road were used for interiors, exteriors, lighting and camera positions, and scaffolding was erected to provide vantage points. The field behind Silbury Road was also used for some filming some of the action.
Ashton Court was used as a unit base for the production, and Flax Bourton mortuary also features in the drama’s morgue scenes.
Bristol Film Office’s Natalie Moore said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Brontë Film and Television to Bristol last year for the filming of this highly anticipated new drama.
“Bristol has a fantastic track record as a location for TV drama. We are a film friendly city that works hard to assist production teams, by helping with locations searches, putting them in touch with local partners and supplying all the permissions needed to ensure filming runs smoothly.”
Productions like The Casual Vacancy are good news not only for the local crew who are employed on them, but also for Bristol’s wider economy.
In 2013/14, filming in Bristol brought £19.6 million inward investment into the city, and Bristol Film Office predicts that the 2014/5 figures will continue to be strong.
A rising number of large scale productions, such as Wolf Hall, Poldark and Galavant chose Bristol locations last year.
Moore added: “With a skilled crew base, effective Film Office and strong production base at The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol is really standing out as a leading UK filming destination that can accommodate all kinds of production.”
The Casual Vacancy begins on BBC One on Sunday, February 15 at 9pm.
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