The famous film and TV scenes that were actually shot around Manchester

It’s no secret that Manchester is growing in popularity among film makers these days, what with the recent rise of Salford’s very own film and TV hub, Media City.

But I bet you had no idea that so many huge TV shows and movies had been filmed here over the years. Here are some of the best ones…

Channel 4

Shameless

Let’s start with an obvious one.

Though the Channel 4 series is famously set in a fictional Manchester council estate, it was actually filmed in a real Manchester council estate – Wenlock Way, in West Gorton. Other filming locations included Miles Platting, where Sheila lived, and The Pie Factory in Salford.

Frank Gallagher’s bleak yet rowdy haunt, The Jockey, was also set at a real-life pub, The Wellington Inn. However, it was knocked down by the council a few years ago, so I’m afraid there’ll be no recreations of some of Shameless’ more barbarian scenes.

Fresh Meat

Another Channel 4 special, Fresh Meat followed the comedic antics of an unlikely group of students who attended the fictional Manchester Medlock University.

In the series, the students were said to live in Rusholme though, in real life, a lot of the scenes were filmed at The Sharp Project. Manchester Metropolitan University’s campus and its student’s union also provided the backdrop for a lot of episodes, as they were at the University of Manchester.

Morbius

Quite surprisingly, the latest Sony movie in the Spider-Man universe had several scenes filmed here in Manchester.

In early 2019, filming began on Sony Pictures’ Morbius – set to be released in 2022 – with location shooting taking place in London. However, the production team then moved to Manchester in late March to make the city’s Northern Quarter their home while they filmed a number of scenes featuring lead actors Jared Leto and Matt Smith.

The Northern Quarter was transformed to resemble New York (because why go to the Big Apple when you can visit the capital of the North instead?) and both Oldham Street and Stevenson Square were cornered off as extras adorned the streets.

Peaky Blinders

Despite being famously Brummie, many scenes from the popular BBC series are actually filmed here in Manchester.

Some of the most prominent filming locations have been the Northern Quarter’s Dale Street, Mangle Street and Back Piccadilly – which can be spotted during some of the most pivotal moments throughout the series. Other locations include the Castlefield Canals – as recently as March 2021, Cillian Murphy, who plays the lead role of Tommy Shelby, was seen filming on a barge on the Bridgewater Canal.

The Stockport Plaza, Rochdale Town Hall and Victoria Baths are other locations where the film crew has been spotted.

Netflix

The Crown

Despite having a somewhat different vibe to Peaky Blinders, the fourth season of Netflix’s royal smash hit, The Crown, also had scenes filmed here in Manchester.

In the episode, Princess Diana – portrayed perfectly by actress Emma Corrin – embarks upon her now-famed solo trip to New York to visit the not-for-profit Henry Street Settlement to meet with homeless mothers and children, as well as an AIDS patient at Harlem Hospital.

Our trusty Northern Quarter was used once again as an alternative to the Big Apple, with Stevenson Square and Dale Street being magically transformed into NYC, all decked out with yellow cabs, Subway entrances and a whole lot of extras wearing outfits reminiscent of Diana’s time.

The Stranger

Netflix’s 2020 crime drama, The Stranger, featured a ton of locations right here in Manchester.

Stockport, Manchester city centre, and Bolton were just a few of the spots used to serve as a fictional area called Cedarfield, Greater Manchester.

Some of the locations used on the series included the city’s St Peter’s Square and Whalley Range, as well as the disused Moor Lane Bus station in Bolton, the Plaza theatre and cinema in Stockport, and the Peel Memorial in Bury.

Meanwhile, indoor scenes were filmed in the suburban district of Didsbury in Manchester, while the animal farm scene was shot at White Peak Alpacas in Mobberley, Cheshire.

@filmtourismus / Twitter

Captain America

Another unexpected one!

Viewers can spot a glimpse of Dale Street, Finlay’s Warehouse and Tariff & Dale early on in the 2010 Marvel blockbuster, Captain America. The film is one of the early instalments in the huge Disney franchise, following Steve Rogers – played by Chris Evans – as he becomes the Captain America fans know and love today.

It marked the first time Marvel Productions had filmed outside of the US, with producers picking the Northern Quarter to recreate the Big Apple in the 1940s because of its towering buildings and pre-war architecture.

Skins

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the grungy teen drama series, Skins. 

The E4 show took the UK by storm during its six seasons on air, so much so, that an additional seventh season was commissioned, which followed three of the most popular characters from the previous seasons.

Skins Redux revisited Jack O’Connell’s Cook and were shot here in Manchester, with filming locations in the Arndale shopping centre, Dale Street in the Northern Quarter, and alleyways in Salford.

The Darkest Hour

Manchester Town Hall and the John Rylands Library could both be seen doubled as the WWII-era Houses of Parliament in the 2019 Winston Churchill biopic, The Darkest Hour.

The Working Title Films production team chose the two staple Manchester locations to film key scenes in the film, recreating the Houses of Parliament in 1940.

The locations offered the perfect period back drop, and with permissions secured and with Manchester’s long established film friendly approach to film & TV production, it ensured the crew had a hugely positive experience of filming in the city.