ACTORS Mark Addy and Tara Fitzgerald have been filming in North Yorkshire, as the county provides the backdrop to yet another film with an all-star line-up.
The York actor Mark Addy, who recently appeared in Game of Thrones along with Brassed Off’s Tara Fitzgerald, have been filming in Whitby and the North York Moors for a new £1.6m production.
They are appearing in The Runaways, which tells the story of three siblings, who run away in order to evade social services so they can remain together after their father's death.
Described as a feel-good film, it was shot entirely in North Yorkshire over six weeks and will feature such well-known landmarks as the Whalebones and Whitby’s 199 steps.
Other scenes were shot at Runswick Bay and at Grosmont and Goathland train stations.
North Yorkshire is earning a reputation as one of the most popular film locations outside London.
Next month, the UK’s leading film festival, BFI London Film Festival, will feature five films made with Screen Yorkshire backing.
Last year’s hit film version of Dad’s Army saw Catherine Zeta Jones, Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon and Toby Jones heading to the county for filming.
Bridlington doubled as the fictional seaside resort Walmington-on-Sea, while Duncombe Park near Helmsley doubled as the film’s German Headquarters.
Last year Northallerton Prison saw two days of filming for Dark River, a Film4-backed movie adaptation starring Sean Bean and Star Wars actor Mark Stanley, as well as three days of filming for flagship ITV murder mystery Vera. Around the same time Thornton Watlass Hall near Bedale was the setting for The Moonstone, featuring Cold Feet actor John Thomson and Downton Abbey butler Jeremy Swift.
Meanwhile, North Yorkshire is currently taking centre stage in the television drama Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman, with scenes shot at York Minster School and York Guildhall, which have formed the backdrop for the House of Lords. Newby Hall near Ripon has been used for scenes set at Brooks gentlemen's club, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace.
Castle Howard was also used.
Several weeks ago, Screen Yorkshire released new figures that revealed the growth of Yorkshire's film and TV industries has outstripped that of every other part of the UK, including London and the South East. Between 2009 and 2015, Yorkshire’s film and television industries generated an annual turnover of £424m across 590 creative businesses, an increase of 247 per cent against the UK average of 118 per cent.
Sally Joynson, chief executive at Screen Yorkshire, said: “With the UK’s creative economy booming, this new research is highly significant for Yorkshire and these figures clearly demonstrate that the region is punching above its weight when it comes to producing world class film and TV.
“Furthermore, this growth has been achieved against a backdrop of increasing consolidation and hugely disproportionate investment on a national and local level into creative industries on the west side of England and the UK.
‘’We can now demonstrate how much more we can achieve for the region, the wider north and the UK economy as a whole if we can attract the right level of support and investment into the sector in Yorkshire.
“Our aim is to ensure that Yorkshire and Humber is central to this increasingly vital sector for the national economy.’’
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