Jack the Giant Killer, 2012
Warner Brothers take on the classic Jack and The Beanstalk. Filming took place in the Chapter House at Wells Cathedral during May 2011.
The stars of the film include Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, Ian McShane, Stanley Tucci and Nicholas Hoult.
The film is due to be released in Summer 2012.
Hot Fuzz, 2007
From the makers of the smash hit comedy, Shaun of the Dead. Top London cop, PC Nicholas Angel, finds himself reassigned to the sleepy village of Sandford.
With garden fetes and neighbourhood watch meetings replacing the action of the city, Angel struggles to adapt to his situation and finds himself partnered with Danny Butterman; an oafish but well meaning young Constable.
Just as all seems lost, a series of grisly accidents motivates Angel into action. Convinced of foul play, Angel realises that Sandford may not be as idyllic as it seems.
Much of Hot Fuzz was filmed in Wells, with The Crown an integral part of the story and featuring in many of the background shots – we are The Crown at Sandford!
The interior of The Crown was, in fact, The Royal Standard of England, England’s oldest freehouse, in Forty Green, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
Director: Edgar Wright Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine,
Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Olivia Coleman, Edward Woodward.
In February, 2007, a special ‘premiere’ was held in Wells and we were thrilled to welcome stars of Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, with director Edgar Wright, back to The Crown for a meal in Anton’s Bistrot.
Dr Who, 2007 – BBC TV
Filmed on location in Wells Cathedral in October, 2006, starring David Tennant as the Doctor. It was broadcast on Saturday 5th May, 2007.
For further details of the episode, including some fabulous pictures of the Cathedral, please visit the link - www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/306.shtml
The Golden Age - November, 2007
‘The Golden Age’ tells the thrilling tale of an era – the story of one woman’s crusade to control love, crush enemies and secure her position as a beloved icon of the western world. As Elizabeth’s cousin Mary Stuart conspires with Philip of Spain to topple the throne, Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s trusty advisor works tirelessly to protect her from the many plots and conspiracies against her. Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her attraction to Raleigh.
Cast and Crew Information: Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush reprise the roles they originated in the Academy-award nominated ‘Elizabeth’. Joining them is Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh as well as Samantha Morton, Abbie Cornish, Jordi Molla and Rhys Ifans. Shekhar Kapur directs, from an original screenplay by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst. The producers are Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Jonathan Cavendish.
Filmed in Wells, Somerset June, 2006. For further information: www.elizabeththegoldenage.com
The Libertine, 2005
Johnny Depp stars as the decadent John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester. The film follows the Earl’s adventures in London, from his passionate romance with a young actress, to the writing of a scurrilous play which blisteringly and bawdily lampoons the very monarch who commissioned it, Charles II, leading to the Earl’s banishment and eventual downfall.
Filmed on location in Vicar’s Close, Wells during 2004.
Cast includes: Johnny Depp, Paul Ritter, John Malkovich, Stanley Townsend, Tom Holland and Rosamund Pike.
He Knew He Was Right – BBC Television, 2004
Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s novel follows the breakdown of a young couple’s marriage, due to the husband’s insecurity and jealousy. Louis (Oliver Dimsdale) and his wife, Emily Trevelyan (Laura Fraser), are madly in love. Emily’s a strong woman seeking to make her own decisions, but Louis is a fragile man who can’t stand up to her. Through mistrust and lack of communication they head inexorably for disaster.
Notorious womaniser Colonel Osborne (Bill Nighy) drives a wedge between the two by visiting Emily too frequently and causing gossip.
The confrontation between Louis and his beloved wife over her liaisons with Colonel Osborne drives Louis into a vortex of misery and, ultimately, madness.
Locations in Wells used during the making of the show include The Rib, Cathedral Green and Vicar’s Close.
Cast: Bill Nighy, Oliver Dimsdale, Laura Fraser, David Tennant, Geoffrey Palmer, Geraldine James, John Alderton, Joanna David, James Bolam and Patsy Palmer.
The Gathering – 2002
While going to the town of Ashby Wake, the drifter Cassie (Christina Ricci) is hit by a car driven by Marion Kirkman (Kerry Fox) and loses her memory. Marion invites Cassie to stay in her huge old house with her family, while recovering from the trauma. Cassie becomes very close to Michael, the young son of Marion’s husband Simon Kirkman (Stephen Dallane). He is researching a recently discovered buried church from the First Century, with images of the crucifixion of Jesus and many anonymous persons watching it.
Cassie starts having visions and premonitions with some locals, and decides to investigate the weird and nasty mechanic Frederick Michael Argyle (Peter McNamara). Her findings about who she is and the mystery relative to the locals and the town surprises her.
The Gathering was filmed in and around Wells Cathedral and Vicar’s Close.
Please go to our ‘Special Guests’ page for details of some familiar faces that have visited The Crown over the years.
