Netflix, ITV and BBC shows earn Hemel Hempstead £100,000

A council has received about £100,000 in the past six months as a result of a town being used for the filming of major TV series.

Hemel Hempstead has been the setting for shows including ITV's Grantchester, Ricky Gervais' After Life on Netflix and Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air.

Some of the revenue will fund a new role to coordinate filming activities.

Dacorum Borough Council said it wanted to demonstrate it was a "filming positive" authority.

So far this year, locals have seen Marlowes in the town centre transformed into 1970s Huddersfield for a Sex Pistols biopic.

In September, Hemel Hempstead's Old Town was transformed into the setting for Masters of the Air, a new World War Two series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Robson Green was spotted in the Old Town in August while filming the latest series of detective drama Grantchester.

In May, Gervais was seen filming in Hemel Hempstead for the third series of After Life, when a funfair appeared in Gadebridge Park.

At the time of Gervais' filming, a council spokesman said crews were "taking advantage of the many great filming locations that Dacorum has to offer".

He said it had become more popular due to its proximity to London.

A Freedom of Information request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service found that between April and October this year, £99,500 was brought in from filming charges on council-owned or managed land. This compares to £64,660 for the whole of the financial year of 2018/2019, the last full year not affected by lockdowns.

The authority could not reveal a breakdown for each project for commercial reasons, but confirmed Grantchester, After Life, Masters of the Air and BBC Three's Ladhood collectively generated £71,765 in 2021/22.

The council has now employed an officer to facilitate filming projects and work with businesses to co-ordinate activities and develop filming protocols to address any local concerns.

"We want to demonstrate that Dacorum is a filming-positive council," a spokesman said.

"Having one point of contact to manage these relationships will ensure that residents and businesses can be better informed going forward."

The council added that there were a "range of benefits" in supporting filming.

"Encouraging the use of local locations and using local businesses and services will bring economic benefit to the area," it said.

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