Dorset’s ageless and rural beauty, combined with the expanse of open landscape and peaceful atmosphere, has encouraged directors and film crews to immortalise the county in a number of Hollywood blockbusters, award winning television shows and music videos. Below is a list of productions which have used the county’s awe-inspiring landscape as their backdrop. Click on the linked locations under the description for more information, details and access.
All features are in alphabetical order except Thomas Hardy films are under Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen films are under Jane Austen.
Ammonite (2020)
An historical film, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, about the fossil hunter Mary Anning based in and around Lyme Regis where she lived and worked during the early 1800s. Artificial frontage and walls were temporarily added to the shops to match the period.
Lyme Regis, Charmouth and Eype Beach
Andor (2022)
As part of the Disney’s Star Wars family the American TV series Andor was added to the collection, sometimes regarded as the best of the Star Wars enterprise. The caves were used as a back drop for season 1 but for season 2 filming was cancelled due to safety concerns. They are currently closed but still visible from the South West Coast Path
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Crichel House was used as a gambling establishment and frequent background while the story follows an 18th century rogue and soilder climbing the social ladder.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
The children’s classic, starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson, is about three orphans, Charlie, Carrie, and Paul Rawlins, who are evacuated from Blitz battered London to Peppering Eye (played by Corfe Castle).
Beyond the Sea (2004)
A musical based on the life of singer-actor Bobby Darin starring Kevin Spacey, Bob Hoskins and Kate Bosworth. The film is set in America but Lulworth Cove acted as Darin’s reclusive spot in California. Most of the filming was done in Germany because producers thought it looked more like 1950s New York than the city itself.
Broadchurch (2013-2017)
West Dorset’s stunning coastline played a starring role in the popular ITV1 drama series. Detectives Olivia Colman and David Tennant were investigating the death of a young boy who fell from the sandy cliff top. The landscape was part of the riveting storyline which became one of British television’s most-watched dramas.
An official Broadchurch trail has been created to connect the different locations featured in the programme. Sadly, due to change in ownership, access to the waterfall was ceased in June 2025.
West Bay, Little Bredy and Eype.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
The film is loosely based on Ian Fleming’s novel ‘The Magic Car’. The coastal scenes in the childhood favourite, starring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Anne Howes, were filmed along Chesil Beach and up to Abbotsbury, but the majority were filmed in France.
Ian Fleming attended Durnford Boys School in Langton Matravers before writing the James Bond novels. The landscape of his early years, and the Bond family that owned it, later merged into his own characters and storylines.
Abbotsbury and Chesil
Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day (1990)
The video for Cliff Richards’s Christmas Number 1 was filmed at Durdle Door
Coldplay – Yellow (2011)
The wold famous Coldplay came to film their music video on Studland Beach. Chris Martin can be seen walking along the shoreline as the sun rises behind an overcast sky. Chris has more Dorset connections as he went to the all-boys private school in Sherborne.
Comrades (1986)
A story about the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were arrested and deported in 1834 for forming an early trade union. The film starred Keith Allen, James Fox and Vanessa Redgrave and was shot in a number of locations across the county. The court scenes were filmed within the original Dorset Courts were the real trial took place. The Cerne Abbas Giant appears in the first scene as the lamplighter walks across.
Tyneham, Maiden Castle, Dorchester and Cerne Abbas
Countryfile (ongoing)
The BBC’s popular weekly programme has featured Dorset many times, covering issues such as farming, conservation, tourism and wildlife.
Daniel Deronda (2002)
The BBC produced the TV series based on George Elliot’s last novel of the same name. Starring Hugh Darcy and Hugh Bonneville it was set in the 1870s. Forde Abbey became the home of Daniel and Sir Mallinger, his guardian. Filming took place in the summer but, as it was Christmas in the film, the set was decorated with fake snow.
David Attenborough – Wild Isles (2023) and The Sea Dragon (2018)
David Attenborough is well known for his worldwide coverage of nature, wildlife and conservation. In these two different programmes he speaks about the unique biodiversity and rare fossils which Dorset is filled with. Hogchester Farm near Charmouth, with its little stream and lush meadows, became a base for the crew during the filming of Wild Isles. The Sea Dragon explored the beach at Charmouth and the mighty Black Ven where Mary Anning discovered the ichthyosaur fossil.
David Attenborough at Hogchester Farm
Doctor Who (1984)
Season 21, The Awakening Part I, with the fifth Doctor – Peter Davison. While escaping the horse riding caviller’s, the Doctor and his sidekicks, Janet Fielding as Tegan and Mark Strickson as Turlough, deal with a young boy transported from the 17th century. The lynch gate and war memorial of Shapwick feature in the episode, as well as the packhorse bridge at Tarrant Monkton. It is noticeable on film that the horses do not enter the ford. This is because on the first take, while watched by the local children, vicar and elderly, the horses lost their footing resulting in some loud expletives from those wobbling in their saddle.
Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan’s epic film depicted Operation Dynamo; the mass-evacuation of British troops during WW2. Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Harry Styles and Tom Hardy starred in the film but it was predominantly an unknown cast. Weymouth was altered to become the departing and arrival port, the first sight of home being the white cliffs of Studland.
Weymouth Swanage Railway and Old Harry’s Rocks
Elizabeth (1998)
The film, starring Cate Blanchett in the key role, depicts the early years of her reign. The 15th century house of Athelhampton House features heavily in the background.
Escape to River Cottage (2002-2006)
River Cottage was used for the first three seasons of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Channel 4 television series. It all began in 1997 when Hugh left London to embark on a life as a smallholder, recording the ups and downs of dealing with animals, plants and weather. His main focus was foraging for wild food, sometimes even using roadkill. The rosy picture he created influenced many more to move to the West Country. On the success of his show he moved his base to Bridport in 2004 and then, in 2006, to Park Farm near Uplyme.
Escape to the Country (ongoing)
Featured many times as a place where people can move from the city to the rural countryside
Fair Stood The Wind For France (1981)
Based on the 1944 novel by H.E. Bates the BBC dramatized the love story where a badly injured British pilot and a French country girl are thrown together in the midst of war torn France. , Filming took place within the Blackmore Vale and the small town of Sturminster newton.
From Time to Time (2009)
Written and directed by Dorset’s own Julian Fellowes, and adapted from The Chimneys of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston, a World War Two evacuee is sent to an old manor house where he discovers two time travelling ghosts. Dame Maggie Smith stars alongside Timothy Spall. It was set in Athelhampton House, which is also apparently haunted, with some village scenes recorded in Puddletown.
Athelhampton and Puddletown
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
A wartime film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on true life events. Some elements were filed in and around Bournemouth but have since been developed.
Compton Acres, Canford Cliffs
Fury (2014)
An American war time film starring Brad Pitt and Shia LeBeouf. The director, David Ayer, put the cast through intensive training, taking place in Bovington Camp, where they had to live in a tank, amongst other challenges, to truly understand the positions of those they were playing. The Tank Museum** also lent the producers the only working Tiger I in the world. Only the previous year Brad was in the county filming World War Z.
Goodbye Mr Chips (1969)
The teacher, Mr Chips, played by Peter O’Toole, becomes a happier man after marriage, but tragedy strikes He finds comfort in his teaching and remains loyal to his Brookfield School. Sherborne School acted as the school while other scenes were shot in the town. Two train engines were brought from Brighton to Sherborne Station in October 1968 but scrapped shorty after.
Gulliver’s Travels (1995).
Based on a novel written in 1726 of the same name, the film follows Gulliver’s adventures after a shipwreck. Staring Ted Danson and Peter O’Toole, it was relatively new in the introduction of CGI, coming only a year after the first fully CGI animated feature film – Toy Story. Locations all over Europe were selected in order to cover the range of exploits but Bridport and the highest point on the southern coast – Golden Cap – were also used. A later version was produced in 2010 with Jack Black as the modern day character.
Harbour Lights (1999 to 2000)
Nick Berry featured in the ITV drama for two series in West Bay which acted as the fictional town of Bridehaven. The former navy officer called Mike returned to his hometown to take on the role of harbourmaster. The show was criticised by locals who claimed the series showed the area in a bad light.
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince (2009)
In the sixth Harry Potter film a scene was introduced that did not feature in the book. The Burrow, the eclectic home of the Weasley family, was attacked by Bellatrix and the Death Eaters and set alight. To create sweeping night-time shots of the house, filming took place at Abbotsbury Swannery, where The Burrow was added in post-production to the Swannery’s vast reed beds. Part of the reasoning behind this location was that the flat landscape allowed for The Burrow to be the only vertical thing in the shot, while the reeds disguised the danger adding to the drama.
Another link between Dorset and Harry Potter is the village of Bradford Peverell. The name was adopted by the Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus, who were the owners of the Deathly Hallows. Harry was a direct descendent of Ignotus Peverell and therefore inherited the cloak of invisibility.
Howards End (2017)
A four part mini-series for the BBC, staring Hayley Atwell and Matthew MacFadyen, was adapted from EM Forster’s classic novel. It represents rural Britain lingering in the past and struggling to keep up with the chaos of urban life at the start of the 20th century. Harry Warren House at Studland was featured as Aunt Juley’s house and the holiday home for the Schlegel siblings. Swanage pier also featured in the background.
Hovis Advert – Boy on Bike (1973)
As one of Britain’s most famous adverts (alongside the Accrington Stanley advert and Cadbury’s Flake) it is still fondly remembered today. The steep cobbled street of Gold Hill, with views over the Blackmore Vale, the Hovis loaf is delivered by a young boy on a bike. Today it is still occasionally known as Hovis Hill and even has a large Hovis loaf at the top. The advert was recreated by The Two Ronnies in 1978.
Shaftesbury
In Which We Serve (1942)
The story of the HMS Torrin is retold by survivors clinging to the life crafts as it sinks into the sea. Directed by Noel Coward, the story was based on the real life ship the HMS Kelly, captained by Lord Louis Mountbatten. It was sunk by German bomber in the eastern Mediterranean in May 1941 during the battle of Crete, killing half the crew. Despite the war raging around them at the time, the film was shot in Portland Harbour.
Jack Hargreaves – Out of Town Series (1963-1981)
Jack became a well-known figure from the 1960s, through the 70s and into the early 80s talking about the Dorset countryside. He filmed in his own garden shed in the little village of Ibberton. He passed away in 1994 and his ashes, at his request, were scattered on Bulbarrow Hill.
Ibberton, Bulbarrow, The Tarrant Valley, The River Stour and many other sites around the county
Jane Austen (1775-1817) Films
Jane frequently took holidays in Dorset, especially in Lyme Regis and Charmouth, the landscape often inspiring her writing. Although a number of different versions have been made of her novels some were filmed in the locations where she intended them to be set.
Sense and Sensibility (1981) Written 1811
Although a number of films have been made, the BBC TV series of the Jane Austen classic was split into seven episodes. Winterborne Came became Barton Park where the Dashwoods come to stay after being evicted from Norland. Park
Mansfield Park (1999) Written 1814
The romantic comedy starring Frances O’Connor and Johnny Lee Miller opens with a scene of Durdle Door with young Fanny leaving her family along the old chalk track.
Emma (1996) Written 1815
The story of the unlucky in love matchmaker Emma is played by Gwyneth Paltrow. A number of locations were used in Dorset including Came House as her father’s home Hartfield and Evershot was dressed up in straw and sheep to become the local village. Mapperton House became Randalls, the Weston’s house, and Crichel House became Donwell Abbey. Moreton Ford was where Emma’s carriage lost its wheel and was saved by Frank Churchill, played by Ewan McGregor
Winterborne Came, Moreton, Mapperton, Evershot and Moor Crichel
Persuasion (1995 & 2022) Written 1817
This story of second chances featured Amanda Root as Anne Elliot and Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth in the earlier version and Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis in the latter. Filming took place all over the west county from Salisbury to Bath with Lyme Regis the destination for Anne and the Musgrove family’s holiday in both films, resulting in Louisa’s tumble off the grandmother’s teeth on the Cobb. Anne, in the 2022 version, also meets Captain Wentworth on the beach at Eype.
Lyme Regis and Eype
John Carter (2012)
A Disney action, sci-fi adventure, the film was dedicated in memory to Steve Jobs. A military veteran, played by Taylor Kitsch, finds himself captured on a barren planet by 12ft monsters only to escape and save a princess in the process. Winspit Quarry became the backdrop to stand in for the rocky surface of Mars.
Jubilee (1978)
Time travelling Queen Elizabeth I overlooks the crazy, punk world of the 1970s, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth II’ Silver Jubilee. Starring pop-icon Adam Ant and Toyah Wilcox the rebels believe that Dorset is the safest place to be and so escape to the county. The final scene is of Queen Elizabeth walking towards a darkened sky above Dancing Ledge.
Lawrence: After Arabia (2021)
Written, directed and produced by Mark J.T. Griffin and with Tom Barber Duffy as T E Lawrence, the film explores his final year while living an interesting life entertaining other poets and authors at his secluded home of Clouds Hill, deep in Wareham Forest. Controversy surrounds his death on whether it was an accident or murder, killed while riding is loved Brough Superior motorbike back home. A small memorial marks the spot today. The film is centred on these real life locations including St Martin’s Church in Moreton, Bovington and Clouds Hill. Compton Abbas is also featured where he raced a Gypsy Moth plane on his favoured bike and contemplates on Chesil Beach.
Moreton, Clouds Hill, Bovington, Compton Abbas and Chesil Beach
Maurice (1987)
Starring Hugh Grant and based on theh novel by E. M. Forster, the boat house on Crichel Estate was used as teh boat house for the fictional manor of Pendersleigh (which was Wilbury Park in Newton Toney, Wiltshire).
Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969 -1983)
The satirical and surreal humour of Monty Python, including the talents of John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Terry Jones, continued to be popular throughout the 80s, 90s and 2000s. A series of random sketches were compiled each week with one character called the Its Man. He emerges from the sea at Studland only to decree… ‘It’s…’
Nanny McPhee (2005)
Emma Thompson and Colin Firth feature in the childhood classic of Nanny McPhee. Durdle Door was the setting for the Nanny to take the children for a picnic.
Nuts in May (1976)
Starring Alison Steadman (Candice-Marie) and Roger Sloman (Kieth Pratt), written and directed by Mike Leigh, Nuts in May follows two holiday makers as they try to find peace on the Isle of Purbeck. The landscape was part of the story as the characters explore the area.
Corfe Castle, Stair Hole, Worth Matravers, Kimmeridge and Lulworth Cove
On Chesil Beach (2018)
The film was based on the bestselling 2007 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. Set in the 1960s and starring Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle it confronts the fears and conflicts of the newlyweds, who experienced different upbringings. The vast and dramatic landscape, which constantly fills the background, adds to the drama and emotional isolation each spouse feels. The majority of the film takes place on Chesil Beach with Lulworth Cove also appearing in the trailer.
Chesil Beach and Lulworth Cove
Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003)
David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and either Lennard Pearce or Buster Merryfield were frequently found filming in Dorset. Arguably one of the most well-known episodes ‘A Touch of Glass’, involving the falling chandelier, was recorded at Clayesmore. Their holiday to Benidorm in the episode ‘It Never Rains’ was filmed on Studland, and their holiday to Cornwall in ‘Friday the 14th’, avoiding an axe murderer on the loose, was filmed at the old village hall and garage in Tarrant Hinton.
Clayesmore, Studland and Tarrant Hinton
Ovaltine advert (1980)
An advert for the new Ovaltine chocolate bar from the company that produced the warm malt drink, which has since gone out of fashion. It claims a day trip from the beach at Swanage, past Corfe Castle to North Dorset can happily be finished with a bar of Ovaltine chocolate.
Swanage, Corfe Castle and Tarrant Monkton
Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2017)
Rumours are rife that at least one scene for the Pirate pentalogy was filmed at Lulworth Cove. This puts the Dorset Coast on a par with the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.
Rebecca (2020)
The Netflix production of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel starred Lily James, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Arnie Hammer. Mapperton House and Cranborne Manor, amongst others, were used as the set of Manderley.
Mapperton House and Cranborne Manor
Restoration (1995)
Set in the court of Charles II the Hollywood blockbuster, produced by Miramax, starred Robert Downey Jnr, Meg Ryan, Sam Neil, Sir Ian McKellan and Hugh Grant. The majority of the film was shot in Wales but Forde Abbey and Mapperton House were also used. The film won Academy Awards for both costume and set design.
Forde Abbey and Mapperton
Rogue Male (1976)
Film based on the book by the same name by Geoffrey Household. The story follows an aristocrat during the early months of 1939 as he escapes from authorities into the Dorset countryside. Having failed in an attempt to kill Aldolf Hitler, in an effort to avenge the killing of his lover, he is captured and tortured only to cheat death and return to England. But Hitler’s men are relentless forcing him into a hideaway buried deep within the Dorset landscape. The film, as does the book, pays close attention to the surrounding environment capturing its wilderness, its survival and its vulnerability, and connecting it closely with the main character. Staring Peter O’Toole and Maureen Lipman, recognisable landscapes include The Fox Inn in Corscombe and the pub (now shut) in Rampisham.
Sleuth (1972)
The mystery thriller was set in Wiltshire but filmed in Dorset. It starred Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, who were both nominated for the Best Actor in the 1972 Oscars, but lost to Marlon Brando in Godfather. Athelhampton House was used as the backdrop of the film, which was remade with Jude law and Michael Cane in 2007 using more modern surroundings.
Summer Holiday (1963)
Cliff Richard’s brightly coloured musical follows three London mechanics as they travel to Greece on a converted double decker bus. The opening scenes were shot in London with the rest shot in Greece. However, one scene, where Cliff dances in a park with some French girls, was filmed in Compton Acres Gardens in Bournemouth. The film location has since been altered beyond recognition.
Compton Acres, Canford Cliffs
Tamara Drewe (2010)
The village beauty returns to her childhood home transformed from an ugly duckling into a swan, with a little help from some plastic surgery. The film is based on the Posy Simmonds comic-strip, which featured in the Guardian newspaper from 2005-6, and was itself loosely based on Thomas Hardy’s ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’. The film was directed by Stephen Frears, who lives near Shaftesbury, and featured Gemma Arterton who only two years before had been in the county filming Tess of the D’Urbervilles. East Chelborough became Tamara’s farmhouse while the villages of Salwayash and Holwell were also used. The White Hart in Yetminster was where a flirty chat between Andy Cobb (played by Luke Evans) and a barmaid occurred.
East Chelborough, Salway Ash, Holwell and Yetminster
The Boat That Rocked (2009)
Written and directed by Richard Curtis it was one of his less popular films. Starring a star cast of Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost and Tom Sturridge (who later featured in ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’), it follows a group of aging DJs still determined to share their love of rock over the airways while avoiding the government shutting them down. Set in 1966, it is based on the real life events leading to the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967.Their pirate station was a ship based in the North Sea but in real life this was Portland Harbour. Other filming locations include Lyme Regis and Kimmeridge.
Portland, Lyme Regis and Kimmeridge
The Browning Version (1951 & 1994)
Originally a 1948 play, the film address the relationship between student and teacher and the understanding of someone’s worth. The first film was produced in 1951 with Michael Redgrave and the school exterior was Sherborne School. The 1994 version, starring Albert Finney, used Milton Abbey School.
The Dam Busters (1955)
The first prototypes of the bouncing bombs were tested in The Fleet during World War 2. The location was then immortalised in 1955 black and white film with Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave; Redgrave returning to the county after filming The Browning Version four years earlier.
The Durrells (2016-2019)
The ITV series followed the Durrell family who relocated from the famous Dorset seaside town of Bournemouth to the Greek island of Corfu. Bournemouth Beach and pier appear in the earlier scenes with the family living on Wimborne Road before the big move.
Bournemouth beach and pier
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976-1979)
The famous TV show followed middle-aged Sunshine Desserts manager, Reginald “Reggie” Perrin, played by Leonard Rossiter, through the humorous struggles of bland, middle-class, suburban life. He commits a fake suicide by leaving his clothes in a pile on the beach at West bay with the cliffs visible in the title sequence.
The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981)
Based on the 1969 book of the same name by John Fowles (who lived in Lyme Regis), Meryl Streep plays Miss Sarah Woodruff and Anna alongside Jeremy Irons as Charles Henry Smithson and Mike. Sorrow and heartbreak dominate the storyline, but with two different endings. The most famous scene is that of windswept Sarah Woodruff standing on the end of the Cobb during a storm. However, the weather was so dangerous Meryl stepped out and was replaced with the director, Terry Pritchard, wearing the cloak to complete the scene. The movie has almost become part of the town itself, The Cobb playing such a memorable role in the film. Other locations include Ware House, Pinhay House, the Royal Lion Hotel and lower Broad Street. A replica ship was built in the harbour to hide the modern boats, while masts on wheels pretended to be passing vessels. Jeremy Irons has further connections with Dorset as he attended Sherborne School and both his sons, Sam and Max, went to Bryanston School.
The Goodies (1975)
The comedy trio (Tim Brooke Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden) of the 1970’s used Parnham House to represent the Prime Minister’s ‘Chequers’ residence in their special episode ‘The Goodies Rule Ok’. It also features a giant ‘Dougal’ and ‘Zebedee’ (from The Magic Roundabout) chasing the trio. A 1973 TV episode called The Goodies and the Beanstalk was filmed on Portland and in Dorchester
In 1985 Tim initiated a celebrity golf event at Came Down Golf Club near Dorchester. The tournament, which ran to 1991, raised more than £36,000 for medical research and was known as the Tim Brooke-Taylor Classic.
The Heros Of Telemark (1965)
Norwegian Resitence fighter, Knut Straud (Richard Harris), enlists the physicist Dr. Rolf Pedersen (Kirk Douglas), to sabotage the German development of the atomic bomb. Although the film was shot on location in the forzen landscape of Norway the earlier scenes, of Knut and Rolf escaping, were filmed at Hamworthy in Poole Harbour.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing in cracking the key to the Enigma code, which Nazi Germany used to send secret messages. In real life Turing attended Sherborne School and so the film followed suit.
The Time of their Lives (2017)
Starring Pauline Collins and Dame Joan Collins, two opposites living in an old peoples home embark on an adventure though France, growing a strong friendship. The film was recorded in France but the UK scenes included Boscombe and Hengistbury Head
These Are The Damned (1961)
The horror film, produced by Hammer Films, involved an American tourist arriving in Weymouth and becoming embroiled in the caves, coast and radioactive children of area. Oliver Reed played King, the main gangster boss, while Bernard, played by Alexander Knox, keeps the children hidden. Bernard’s mistress, Freya (played by Viveca Lindfors), was a sculptor whose sculptures were actually made by local Artist Elizabeth FrInk. Frink also coached Lindfors on performing the art of building up the plaster and carving the material. The movie was filmed around Weymouth and the Isle of Portland with the opening scene of the trailer being the coastal road crossing The Fleet.
Weymouth, Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) Films
Without any doubt Hardy is one of Dorset’s most famous literary characters. He was born in Higher Bockhampton, grew up in Stinsford, lived in Sturminster Newton as well as Dorchester and designed houses and renovated churches that scatter the county. The landscape, and the people who worked within it, inspired him to write a number of novels and poems, many of which were tragedies; stories of star-crossed lovers, societal restrictions and the desperation of life, all against the backdrop of an unforgiving environment.
A 216.5 Long Distance walk called the Hardy Trail has been designed circling the country. It includes many of the villages town and landmarks featured in his books
Far from the Madding Crowd (1967, 1998 & 2015) Written 1874
The 1967 film was directed by John Schlesinger and featured Julie Christie and Terrance Stamp. The story is based around headstrong Bathsheba who inherited a farm from her uncle. Her young years are then filled with the difficult choices of relationships and love while struggling with the hardships of life. It stayed true to its Dorset roots using plenty of locations in the county including Bere Regis, the graveyard in Sydling St Nicholas, Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Bloxworth House near Wareham and Scratchy Bottom, where Gabriel’s sheep fell off the cliff. Bathsheba’s barn is the tithe barn in Abbottsbury, Horton Tower is the site of a cock fight and Stamp swims named off Durdle Door, but the most famous scene is his swordsmanship display, filmed in the ramparts of Maiden Castle. To ruin the magic of the seductive scene, the majority was filmed by Nick Roeg with Stamp the only other present. Whenever the weather was appropriate Nick and Terrance would escape to the Castle and record his various moves on the earthworks. Despite it not being directed by Schlesinger, and with animosity rife between him and Stamp, the shots were so good he reluctantly kept them in. Stamp was also left handed but had to fight with his right as the soldiers would have done so at the time.
Bere Regis, Sydling St Nicholas, Shaftesbury, Bloxworth House, Scratchy Bottom, Abbotsbury, Horton Tower and Maiden Castle
In 1998 the ITV produced a four part mini-series of the book starring Paloma Baeza and Nathaniel Parker, winning two Bafta awards. The locations were similar to the 1967 film but the sword scene took place in the depths of Hooke Park in West Dorset.
Sherborne and Hooke Park
The most recent version, released in 2015, was directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starred Carey Mulligan, as Bathsheba, alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, as Gabriel Oak, and Tom Sturridge as Sargent Frank Troy (only 5 years earlier Sturridge had been in the county filming Richard Curtis’ ‘The Boat that Rocked’). The cliffs of West Bay and Eype became Gabriel’s home while Bathsheba’s Everdene Farm was Mapperton House. Other locations included Purse Caundle Manor, Forde Abbey’s Great Hall as the Corn exchange and Sherborne, which was dressed up to become the Market Square of Casterbridge. Hooke Park, like the 1998 version, was used for the sword scene.
West Bay, Eype, Mapperton, Purse Caundle, Forde Abbey, Hooke Park, Rodden and Sherborne
Mayor of Casterbridge. (1978 & 2003) Written 1886
Casterbridge was Hardy’s fictional term for Dorchester. The book was centred on Michael Henchard who, as a young man, sold his wife and baby only to deeply regret it. The BBC made it into a seven part drama in 1978, written by Dennis Potter and staring Alan Bates. The majority was filmed around Corfe Castle with the opening scenes on the hills at Tyneham. The gravestone of Michael Henchard, used in the film, still stands in the pub garden of the Scott Arms in Kingston
Corfe Castle, Tyneham and Kingston
In 2003 the movie was made for ITV with Ciaran Hinds and Juliet Aubrey. Dorchester was considered too developed for any filming and so was carried out in the surrounding area. Maiden Castle ramparts played the part of the first meeting between Henchard and his abandoned wife.
Askerswell, Cerne Abbas, Maiden Castle and Stonebarrow
The Scarlet Tunic (1998) Written 1890
The Scarlett Tunic is based on the real life story of Phyllis Grove, who lived in Bincombe, retold by Thomas Hardy in his short story ‘The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion’. Torn between marriage and love Phyllis had to witness her lover and his comrade be shot for desertion. Their graves still lie, unmarked, in Bincombe Churchyard, and were tendered by her until her death in 1870. Phyllis becomes Frances and is played by Emma Fielding with Jean-Marc Barr as the solider Matthaus Singer. Filming largely took place on the Isle of Purbeck but they travel through the holloway of Shutes Lane and Frances finds Mathias’ scarlet tunic on Eype Beach after he sails for France.
Eype and Shutes Lane
The Wessex tales (1973) Written 1888
A collection of short stories made into small 50 minute films by the BBC. Parnham House was used for Barbara of the House of Grebe along with Kingston Lacy while many elements of the Dorset landscape filled the background.
Parnham and Kingston Lacy
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1979, 1998 & 2008) Written 1891
Hardy’s most famous novel about young, naive Tess, thrown into service by her mother, follows a course of tragedy and heartbreak. The 1979 version, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, and Leigh Lawson, won three academy awards but was filmed entirely in France. The 1998 version was made as a two part drama series for ITV featuring Justine Waddell as Tess Durbeyfield and Jason Flyming as Alec D’Urberville. In contrast to the 1979 film it was filmed in the rural countryside of Dorset and Wiltshire. The most dramatic scene, to match with the book, was filmed at Stonehenge where Tess was found by the police and taken away to be hung for the murder of Alec.
Cerne Abbas, Swanage, Burton Bradstock and Stonehenge
Gemma Arterton, fresh from being a Bond girl, appeared in the 2008 BBC version alongside Eddie Redmayne as Angel Clare. Similar locations were used, matching the 1998 film, but also included a dancing scene at Dancing Ledge. The final scene is also shot at misty Stonehenge.
Corfe Castle, Dancing Ledge and Stonehenge
Time Team digs Channel 4 (1994-2014)
Dorset’s rich history has attracted those that want to investigate it. Hed up by Tony Robinson, this team of archaeologists try to unravel some of the counties mysteries.
Wytch Farm, Cerne Abbas, Hooke, South Perrott, Waddon
To Serve Them All My Days (1980-81)
The 1972 novel of the same name was adapted by the BBC into a thirteen part series. A Welsh coal miner’s son is sent to war and passes up the ranks. After injury in 1918 he becomes a well-respected teacher at Bamfylde School but is involved in a bitter rivalry with a peer. John Duttine starred as the main character using Milton Abbey School as his teaching ground.
Tom Jones (1963)
The film was an adaptation of Henry Fielding’s 1749 novel ‘The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling’. It was produced by a minor company, Bryanston Films, on a strict budget but both the director, Tony Richardson, and the lead actor, Albert Finney, won academy awards along with a best picture award and best music.
Sturthill, Golden Cap, Mapperton, Cerne Abbas and Powerstock
Sturthill
Who Do you Think You Are? (2004 – ongoing)
The BBC Documentary series follows celebrities as they trace their ancestors. The Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan discovered family history at Corfe Castle while another comedian, Chris Ramsey, found evidence of his Great Grandfathers military role at Blandford Camp.
Wilde (1996)
Stephen Fry portrayed the man of wit and words, Oscar Wilde, alongside Jude Law and Vanessa Redgrave. It follows his chaotic life in London after discovering his homosexuality and his subsequent time in prison. Despite the story taking place in the USA, Europe and London, Durdle Door is featured when his wife, played by Jennifer Ehle, speaks of marital problems and Wilde takes his children fishing on Swanage Pier.
Lulworth Cove, Studland Bay and Swanage.
William Shakespeare – Hamlet (1913) Written 1599
The oldest film of the collection and first ever film recorded in Dorset was a silent movie. A full-sized set of Castle Elsinore was built at Dungy Head, between Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, while the coastal scenes were shot at Lulworth Cove.
Wolf Hall (2015)
Wolf Hall was adapted from the 2009 novel of the same name by Hilary Mantle. Split into six episodes for the BBC, featuring Damien Lewis and Claire Foy, it followed the rise of Thomas Cromwell during the reign of King Henry VIII. Although originally planned to be filmed in Belgium, the series instead used the impressive Tudor manors of the British countryside, including Montacute House in Somerset, Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire and Sherborne School.
Wonka (2023)
Starring Hollywood the A-lister Timothée Chalamet, alongside British treasures such as Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson Hugh Grant and Matt Lucas, the film focusses on the early years of the ,mysterious man, Filming took place around the harbour, strongly featuring the Cobb where Wonka himself takes a dance, and snow machines were deployed to create snow-filled winter scenes.
World War Z (2013)
Brad Pitt plays the lead role in this horror action movie, inspired by a book of the same name written by Max Brooks in 2006. It follows a former United Nations investigator as he travels the world to tackle a zombie apocalypse. Brad was seen zipping about in a speedboat for a scene set in Nova Scotia but filmed at Lulworth Cove. Originally planned as a trilogy, unforeseen circumstances and events caused the second film to be cancelled.
The tv show potter from late 70s early 80 s with Arthur Lowe was filmed here just north of Bournemouth a few pubs like the crown etc were used in location filming and done streets and houses for outdoor scene too worth watching on you tube as managed to figured this out
A number of WW2 films partly filmed at Portland including The Cruel Sea , The Ship that died of Shame and The Key
I have connections to the final of these in that my father was Master ( I think ) of one of the tugs that is at the centre of the story. I was less than a yesrp old when filming took place but my father collected the autographs of the stars in an album though I regret that it has got lost somewhere along the line.
Also The Damned , a horror film starring Oliver Reed filmed in Weymouth and Portland
Thank you for the input!. Already got The Damned!
A wonderful article 👏
I really enjoyed reading this which must have taken a lot of research
If I may point out that Wolf Hall
Is the story of Thomas Cromwell
It’s not a critism but just for accuracies sake
Nonetheless thankyou so much for this trip through Dorset’s televisual and cinematic fame .
No worries, thank you for letting me know, if that is my only error I will be surprised! Amended – so now it must be perfect!😝 Happy to read you liked it, please feel free to share!