In the first quarter of the 21st century, Liverpool became the second most filmed city in the UK after London. This fact, like a number of others, suggests that the city is experiencing a real cinematic boom in the 2020s. For example, many scenes from The Responder series were filmed in the centre of Merseyside. How did this happen? What are the most interesting facts from the history of filming in Liverpool? Learn more at liverpool-trend.com.
Liverpool becoming a film set
The selection of locations for filming is an interesting topic. No less interesting is that viewers can take what is happening on the screen at face value without realizing it. Of course, they understand that space adventures aren’t filmed in space, but when they see 1940s New York, they may not suspect that this is actually Liverpool.
Interesting statistics for 2021: Liverpool became the filming location for around 250 TV shows and films at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. During this period alone, the city received around £18.7m in inward investment. Compared to 2020, this figure increased to 87%.
The number of filming days also increased in 2021, to 1,100, which is +20%. Films that have been shot in Liverpool include Funny Girl, Time, Help, The Ipcress File and Ambulance. That year, the film industry brought in around £400,000 in revenue to Liverpool City Council from paid services and fees.
Part of this is probably due to Liverpool’s beautiful historic architecture. Local iconic landmarks provide a perfect backdrop for many scenes, especially for films about the past. So what projects have chosen Liverpool as a filming location in the 21st century and what principles guided the directors? Here are a few examples.
The Batman
Liverpool was involved in the reboot of DC’s The Dark Knight. The leading role was played by Robert Pattinson, but another “character”, Gotham City, was brilliantly played by Liverpool, or rather St George’s Hall (in the film, it is Gotham City Hall), Enfield Cemetery and the Royal Liver Building (as the headquarters of the local police). The reason for choosing Liverpool (along with Glasgow and London) was, apparently, its Gothic architecture, ideal for the director’s team. Learn more important points about the filming here.
Munich – The Edge of War
This Netflix adaptation of the novel by Robert Harris very convincingly recreated London’s Whitehall, the government area of the British capital, in Liverpool.
The events of Munich – The Edge of War take place in September 1938 during the signing of the Munich Agreement. Several Liverpool locations used for filming perfectly recreated London in the 1930s. Such historic buildings as Exchange Flags and Martins Bank were particularly helpful. The iconic Royal Liver and Cunard Buildings were used for office scenes.
The Guardian photographer Sarah Lee, who also worked on the project, noted that the city’s historic architecture adds a special charm and authenticity to the film’s scenes. This makes Liverpool an ideal location for filming historical dramas.
The Ipcress File
The spy thriller The Ipcress File, based on the novel by Len Deighton, has once again attracted viewers but this time as a six-part series on ITV Hub. The original 1965 film adaptation starring Michael Caine became a cult classic, but the new version adds something special to the story thanks to the choice of filming location.
Liverpool was filmed as 1960s London in many scenes and transformed into a capital of spy intrigue. The Bluecoat Chambers, Hope Street, Falkner Street, Exchange Street, Lime Street, Rodney Street and Brunswick Street recreated an authentic atmosphere of London at that time. The picturesque village of Burton in Wirral appeared in the story too.
Executive Producer Will Clarke said:
“They (the locations) capture something almost frozen in time with the 1950s and 1960s architecture. We wanted to embrace the iconography of London without being subsumed by it.”
The city’s locations provided the perfect backdrop for conveying the spirit of the Cold War. The streets and buildings, breathing history, made Liverpool a full-fledged character of the series. It once again proved that its rich architectural heritage can revive any era. Since the filming took place during the pandemic, freedom of movement was limited at the time. Therefore, actor Tom Hollander expressed the hope of returning to Liverpool under more favourable circumstances.
Future plans
However, the history of filming in Liverpool didn’t end there. The city is strengthening its reputation as a cinematic capital. Together with the Liverpool Film Office, the city organised a campaign called Liverpool, The Ultimate Setting, aimed at attracting tourists who want to visit locations from their favourite films. This initiative was also supposed to stimulate economic development. In 2023, the city appeared in a Taylor Swift music video, which only confirms Liverpool’s significance in the global film industry. That year, the city hosted more than 300 film projects, breaking its own record. City representatives emphasised that such an initiative would allow them to show the diversity of Liverpool and its cultural heritage. The campaign is also consistent with VisitBritain’s international strategy, which attracts an additional flow of tourists thanks to popular films and TV series.
