Sheffield and the neighbouring Peak District have the perfect combination of stunning landscapes, historical buildings and big city buzz to make them a big lure for film and TV directors.
Big and small screen hits like The Full Monty and Doctor Who have been shot at locations across the city, from Sheffield's famous Park Hill flats to an old industrial site near Meadowhall. Tom Cruise is among the big stars to have visited the Peak District, during filming for the Mission: Impossible movies.
A new book has been published to help film and TV buffs visit film and TV locations across the UK and Ireland, including those in Sheffield and the Peak District, and learn more about the areas to help bring their favourite shows and movies to life.
On Location, by Peter Naldrett, takes culture vultures on a tour of the UK, pinpointing the filming locations for hits including Harry Potter, Trainspotting, The Crown and James Bond film Skyfall. You might want to use it to make a pilgrimage to the site of your favourite movie scene or to find a nearby day out with a difference when you're on holiday.
Peter grew up in Sheffield and describes how he was always 'fascinated' when his city appeared on the big and small screen. "Along with the rest of my junior school class, I was terrified when the city was obliterated in Threads," he said. "As I got older, I laughed and also felt sad at the portrayal of The Full Monty, went to have a nosy when the cameras rolled in for This is England, picked out landmarks in Four Lions and loved the city’s scenes in Doctor Who."
Below are the film and TV locations in Sheffield and the Peak District which are featured in the book, with a little bit about them, though there's much more background in the book.
On Location, by Peter Naldrett, is out now, priced £20.
1. Film and TV locations
Several film and TV locations in and around Sheffield feature in On Location, by Peter Naldrett
2. '71 - Park Hill flats
Sheffield stood in as Belfast for '71, a 'gripping' 2014 film about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Sheffield's famous Park Hill flats were used as the notorious Divis flats, which have been demolished. The film's opening, which sees soldiers being trained in a woodland setting, was shot on the north-west edge of Sheffield at the Underbank Outdoor Activity Centre near Stocksbridge.
3. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Ladybower Reservoir
Ladybower Reservoir, just a short drive from Sheffield, is home to what are surely two of the world's most awesome 'plugholes', used to drain excess water after heavy rainfall. One of those overflows features in a thrilling action sequence in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. In it, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) jumps into a water tank at what is supposed to be a Moroccan power station. The Peak District footage, shot using drones after a three-month wait for sufficient rainfall, were added using CGI trickery. Tom Cruise was in the Peak District in 2021 to film an epic train scene in Stoney Middleton for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. Photo: Lynne Cameron/PA Wire
4. Everybody's Talking About Jamie - Parson Cross and other locations
Everybody's Talking About Jamie, the big screen adaptation of the hit musical, is described by Peter Naldrett as Sheffield's 'biggest movie moment since The Full Monty'. Inspired by the true story of Jamie Campbell, it follows 16-year-old Jamie New, who has his heart set on being a drag queen but must overcome many prejudices. It was filmed entirely in and around Sheffield, at locations including Crookes Social Club, Atkinsons department store on The Moor, the Curzon Cinema, Swinton Academy in Rotherham, and Bracken Moor – the home ground of Stocksbridge Park Steels. The most famous sequence is the party scene filmed on Deerlands Avenue in Parson Cross, for which more than 2,500 local fans of the story were invited to take part. Photo: Alana Roberts