Wiltshire’s burgeoning film and TV industry gets a boost this weekend with the return to the small screen of Lark Rise to Candleford, the award-winning BBC drama filmed in the county.
The programme is the BBC’s adaptation of Flora Thompson’s childhood memoirs, set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town Candleford, at the end of the 19th Century.
Now in its fourth series, which begins on Sunday evening, the drama has been filmed on location at the 18th century Neston Park, near Corsham, and in the village of Box. Audiences have reached up to seven million since it first broadcast on Sunday evenings in 2008.
Lark Rise to Candleford is just one of the productions to have been filmed in Wiltshire over the past few years, making a significant contribution to the county economy and employing hundreds of people – from extras to technicians and caterers. Across the South West as a whole, film and television production brings in £62 million a year.
The picturesque villages of Lacock and Castle Combe regularly appear in TV programmes and movies. Last year legendary Hollywood film-maker Steven Spielberg directed scenes for War Horse in Castle Combe, The film, based on the children’s novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, will be released this year, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis and Emily Watson.
Lacock has been used as a location in the Harry Potter films as well as a large number of period TV dramas.
Fiona Francombe, production services manager at South West Screen, the agency responsible for attracting film and television productions to the region, said: “Lark Rise is one of the many productions to take advantage of the excellent locations and crew we have in the South West.”
Chippenham MP Duncan Hames recently accompanied South West Screen on a visit to the Lark Rise to Candleford set.
He said: “I was hugely impressed. Productions such as these support local crew, promote our beautiful locations and provide knock-on benefits for local businesses. The fact that film and television production generates real value for our local economy as well as creating popular shows like this for audiences to enjoy is often overlooked.”
Lark Rise to Candleford is on BBC1 at 9pm this Sunday.
