Cornwall, in the southwest of England, is on the verge of breaking out to become the next mini Hollywood after interest from streaming giant Netflix.
Cornwall Live reports that with the successes of shows like Doc Martin, Poldark, Delicious, and movies like Fisherman’s Friends and Rebecca, the towns of Cornwall from Bude to Penzance have all become viable as locations for filming. A new agency called Screen Cornwall, chaired by TV producer Phillippa Giles, will share the appeal for film and television locations, but also a hub for talent.
The goal is to keep Cornwall talent in the county without having to travel to London for work, but also to encourage others to come to the area. Giles says that two new movies, The Kid Who Would Be King and Fisherman’s Friends , unexpectedly scored at the box office, providing examples of what Cornwall has to offer.
“A lot of people who work in the industry are jaundiced and think everything needs to be made in London, but there lots of positives in Cornwall – for one, it’s a lot cheaper to work down here and it’s a little bit off-grid, meaning we can do things that little bit differently with results which surprise a lot of people. Things can be made here now that aren’t just set in Cornwall in the book or script.”
LOVE this ?? If #Cornwall is the Hollywood of the UK then we definitely need a Walk of Fame along Penzance prom @LeeTrewhela https://t.co/MaXjfXgQ6M
— jacqui merrington (@jacquiwalls) June 23, 2019
Giles says that Anne Mensah, the head of UK scripted productions at Netflix, is eager to use locations in Cornwall for future shows and films. The new series of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers books will be shot in Cornwall as well as the follow-up movie to Fisherman’s Friends .
Glenn Caplin, chief executive of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, believes that Cornwall is the ultimate growth area for the creative community.
“Here in Cornwall we already have growing tech and content production sectors, and Screen Cornwall will enable us to grow this further, creating a self-sustaining organization which will make a positive contribution to Cornwall’s growing creative economy.”
The Martin Clunes series Doc Martin has been filming in Cornwall, in the town of Port Isaac for over 10 years, says The Inquisitr, and Hollywood has come knocking in the form of actor Signorney Weaver, who asked for a guest starring role on the series. Weaver doesn’t usually do television projects, but was thrilled when she was able to make two appearances on the show with Clunes and his ensemble cast.
Port Isaac has become almost a character on the series, and it’s such a boon for tourism that the Cornwall Tourism Board gave the production company an award recently at the Truro Cathedral.
Sigourney weaver is such a fan of Doc Martin, she begged for a part. Catch her appearance up next on @ITV pic.twitter.com/Psi7kwdFya
— ITV (@ITV) October 26, 2015
