2023 Production Roundup

2023 has been another active year for film and high-end TV production in the region with new and returning dramas, feature films, commercial projects, children’s series, documentaries, and a vibrant slate of shorts from regional talent filming in Cornwall. Here’s our roundup of some highlights shooting in the region:

TREASURE TALES / Screen Glue. CBeebies.

January to March
The year started with TREASURE TALES a new Screen Glue live action series for CBeebies which aired in July, unlocking the story of Cornwall’s rich history through found objects. Friends Fred and Pete live in the Cornish village of Port Isaac and spend their days hunting for treasures, each object has a story that Fred and Pete bring to life when they go on their adventures across Cornwall.

March saw Cornwall serving as a double for The Mull of Kintyre, where two musical legends gather at a Scottish Cottage to discuss a collaboration, in upcoming Jim Hosking feature film from Cornish production company Bosena.

April to June
The early summer brought a flurry of documentaries to Cornwall, including SAVING LIVES AT SEA and COUNTRYFILE.

June saw production of THE SEVERED SUN, a folk horror starring Emma Appleton and Toby Stephens, shooting close to Bodmin Moor. In an isolated religious community, Magpie murders her abusive husband, awakening a supernatural beast. Produced by Grasp the Nettle Films & Lunar Lander Films, the film will mark the feature debut of Cornwall-based writer-director Dean Puckett.

Also in June, Moonage Pictures and byNW announced that filming had begun on a brand-new series of THE FAMOUS FIVE for the BBC in the UK in co-production with ZDF in Germany, with some filming taking place in Cornwall. The series, based on Enid Blyton’s 21 stories, follows five daring young explorers as they encounter treacherous, action-packed adventures, remarkable mysteries, unparalleled danger, and astounding secrets.

 

PLAYING NICE / STUDIOCANAL, Rabbit Track Pictures. Commissioned by ITV.

July to September 
In the summer Number 9 Productions arrived with THE SALT PATH, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, filming on location along Cornwall’s coast for the film adaptation of Raynor Winn’s bestselling memoir about trekking 630 miles of UK coastline with her husband.

In July, King Bert Productions returned to Cornwall for the fifth series of CBBC children’s drama MALORY TOWERS. Adapted from the iconic novels by Enid Blyton, the series follows the adventures and escapades of the pupils at the all-girls boarding school.

September saw the return of Red Planet Pictures’ BEYOND PARADISE, co-commissioned with BritBox International, return to Cornwall for filming of a second series and a Christmas special, following the huge success of series one. One of the UK’s most popular dramas of the year, Beyond Paradise has attracted an audience of 8.7 million viewers.

October to December
In the autumn, principal photography was taking place in Cornwall for ITV’s new four-part psychological thriller, PLAYING NICE, starring BAFTA nominated James Norton, BAFTA nominated Niamh Algar, Olivier nominated James McArdle and BIFA nominated Jessica Brown Findlay. Adapted by Malpractice writer Grace Ofori-Attah, produced by Rabbit Track Pictures and STUDIOCANAL, the story of two couples discovering that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up is set against a sweeping Cornish landscape.