Why TV crews are falling over each other to film drama in ‘Bristolywood’

The city's picturesque past and vibrant present have made it a magnet for high-end productions

An adrenaline-pumping knife chase through graffiti-sprayed lanes takes place in the comedy-thriller The Outlaws, while class tensions simmer at a lavish student ball in the legal drama Showtrial. The city providing the backdrop and inspiration for both these series is Bristol - a location now so popular with film and TV makers that crews are actually falling over themselves in the streets.

The city council has been inundated with requests to film in the city's dank alleys, high-rises and grand Georgian squares since the beginning of the year, according to Bristol Film Office, which is part of the city council. It has seen a 225% increase in drama production on pre-pandemic levels. In the first quarter of 2019/20 there were four major drama productions under way in Bristol - but this more than tripled to 13 in the first quarter of 2020/21. Since January, 15 high-end TV dramas have been filmed in the city.