Films and TV shows being produced in Bristol have boosted the city region's economy by more than £46m, new research has found.
According to latest annual figures, there were 29 major productions assisted by Bristol Film Office (BFO) and The Bottle Yard Studios throughout the 2024-25 financial year.
These included three feature films and 26 high-end TV productions, the BFO report found, with a total of 736 filming days supported in the studio and on location.
The economic impact of the production activity rose £16.6m (55%) on the previous year. In total, 689 filming permits were processed by the BFO in 2024–25, permitting filming to take place on council-owned streets, properties and green spaces.
The year also saw more of Bristol’s visitor destinations directly benefiting from income brought in by filming, after being connected to productions by BFO
Historic boatyard Underfall Yard - which has been fundraising since 2023 to complete recovery and reinstatement works following a devastating arson attack - and inner-city community hub St Werburghs City Farm, were among those involved in extensive filming last year.
Councillor Tony Dyer, leader of Bristol City Council, said: “Bristol’s film industry plays a significant role in the growing strength of our local and regional economy.
"The substantial growth in economic impact these latest figures demonstrate underlines just how important this sector is to our city, not just in terms of jobs but also exposure to a global audience."
Laura Aviles, head of film, Bristol City Council, added: “Not only are we seeing the number of productions opting to film in Bristol remain strong, we’re also seeing the size and length of those shoots increase."
"Thanks to the outstanding service from The Bottle Yard team and the gold standard of logistical liaison provided by the Film Office on location, productions are spending more time prepping and filming bigger, more ambitious shoots here. This is leading to more employment for regional scripted freelancers and companies, and more local spend in the economy."
A total of 17 major productions were filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios throughout the year, eight of which had the biggest presence in the city by also filming on location with assistance from BFO.
These eight were:
- upcoming Sky Original thriller Inheritance starring Gugu Mbatha Raw and Jonny Lee Miller;
- upcoming Channel 5/PBS period drama The Forsytes starring Millie Gibson and Joshua Orpin;
- upcoming Netflix Agatha Christie thriller The Seven Dials Mystery starring Mia McKenna-Bruce, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman;
- upcoming BBC coming-of-age relationship drama The Dream Lands starring Pascale Kann and Anna Friel;
- upcoming feature film Bad Apples starring Saoirse Ronan;
- series two of BBC comedy thriller Am I Being Unreasonable written by and starring Daisy May Cooper; and series two of BBC comedy drama Boarders .
Bristol Film Office also assisted 19 major productions on location throughout the year, including:
- Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Prime Video series Young Sherlock starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Colin Firth;
- upcoming BBC/Disney+ Doctor Who spin off The War Between Land and Sea starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha Raw;
- upcoming second series of Channel 4 cyber thriller The Undeclared War starring Hannah Khalique-Brown and Simon Pegg;
- upcoming feature Mother’s Pride starring Martin Clunes; upcoming feature film H is for Hawk starring Clare Foy and Brendan Gleeson; Paramount+ thriller The Crow Girl starring Eve Myles and Doug-ray Scott;
- and BBC Agatha Christie thriller Towards Zero starring Anjelica Huston.
