Watch the District

Hollywood comes to Wakefield!

As part of VisitBritain’s #StarringGREATBritain campaign, which celebrates the UK’s rich heritage as a filming location and destination for screen tourism, we’re proud to showcase how the Wakefield district has starred in numerous productions over the years. Whether you’re an international visitor inspired by British film and TV or a local looking to spot familiar places on screen, our district offers plenty of filming locations to explore.

The great British weather can be changeable at the best of time, so if you need some indoor entertainment, why not discover the Wakefield district on the silver screen? We’ve rounded up some of the best TV shows and films (and bread adverts…) that have been filmed in the area and they’re all watchable for free. See if you can spot the locations while you watch, and maybe next time you visit you’ll see these places in a new light.

Watch the District

A TOUCH OF FROST

TV Series | 1992 – 2010 | ITV | 75-101 minutes | 15 seasons | 41 episodes | Rated 12-15

What: DI Jack Frost is an unconventional policeman with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice. Sloppy, disorganised and disrespectful, he attracts trouble like a magnet. Starring David Jason as DI Frost.

Where in the district: Several scenes in and around Wakefield, Pontefract and Castleford. Notable locations include Carlton Lanes Shopping Centre in Castleford, Rishworth Street and Westgate in Wakefield.

Where to watch: All series are available to watch for free on ITVX.

The New Statesman

TV Series | 1987-1994 | ITV | 24-25 minutes | 4 seasons | 29 episodes | Rated 15

What: The ultra right-wing Alan B’Stard, the most selfish, greedy, dishonest, sadistic and sociopathic Conservative MP of them all, plots to achieve his megalomaniacal ambitions. Starring Rik Mayall and Michael Troughton.

Where in the district: A house on St John’s Square, Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on ITVX.

NATIONAL TREASURE

TV Series | 2016 | Channel 4 | 45 minutes | 1 season | 4 episodes | Rated 15

What: Paul Finchley is one half of a much-loved comedy double act – a cherished household name with a career that spans several decades. He’s a bona fide national treasure. But, in the face of accusations of historic sexual offences from the 1990s, the life of this adored comedian begins to unravel. Starring Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters.

Where in the district: County Hall in Wakefield, parts of Pontefract and Normanton.

Where to watch: Watch for free on Channel 4.

Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty

TV Series | 2014 | Channel 5 | 1 season, 4 episodes | 45 minutes | Rated 15

What: Part-dramatised documentary with author and historian Dan Jones following the turbulent times and dysfunctional dynasty that ruled England and much of France during the Middle Ages, from control freak king Henry II to tyrant king Richard II.

Where in the district: Pontefract Castle.

Where to watch: Watch for free on My5.

Derelict Rescue

TV Series | 2023 | HGTV | 44 minutes | Season 1, episode 9 | Rated U

What: Britain’s bravest builders take on the UK’s most rundown, unusual buildings to create dream homes. From crumbling water towers to deserted churches and historic farmhouses, these families are risking everything for a new life in a unique home. In this Wakefield-set episode, Chris and Angela try to transform a water tower into a luxury holiday home.

Where in the district: Flockton Water Tower.

Where to watch: Watch for free on discovery+.

THE ABC MURDERS

TV Series | 2018 | BBC1 | 56 minutes | 1 season | 3 episodes | Rated 15

What: In 1933, retired detective Hercule Poirot is targeted by a taunting killer who sends letters signed “ABC”, which Poirot must decode in order to discover the identity of the murderer. Starring John Malkovich, Rupert Grint and Tara Fitzgerald.

Where in the district: Church of St John the Baptist and St John’s Square in Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on BBC iPlayer.

DNA Journey

TV Series | 2021 | ITV | 56 minutes | Season 2, episode 1

What: Celebrities embark on a life-changing journey to explore their family history. Alongside their best mate or family member, the celebs will set off on the ultimate road trip as they discover family members they never even knew existed. In this episode, Freddie Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp face a new kind of challenge – discovering each other’s family history using DNA and genealogy.

Where in the district: National Coal Mining Museum.

Where to watch: Watch for free on ITVX.

WARBURTONS

Advert | 2015 | 2 minutes

What: Sylvester Stallone pitches a hot movie idea to Warburtons about a team of mercenaries doing whatever it takes to make people’s sandwiches worthwhile.

Where in the district: Warburtons’ factory in Normanton, Chantry Bridge in Wakefield, the canal footbridge in Castleford, and Heath Common.

Where to watch: Watch for free on YouTube.

Britain's Bloody Crown

TV Series | 2016 | Channel 5 | 1 season, 4 episodes | 45 minutes

What: Using a combination of documentary and drama, historian Dan Jones tells the story of the War of the Roses – the 30 year civil war between the House of York and House of Lancaster that saw the crown change hands seven times.

Where in the district: Sandal Castle.

Where to watch: Watch for free on My5.

THE SACRED KING

Short Film | 2019 | 13 minutes

What: A filmed version of what is often called ‘the prison speech’ in William Shakespeare’s history tragedy Richard II, taken from the beginning of Act 5, Scene 5. The scene of the king’s final speech is set at Pontefract Castle and had never before been filmed at the historic site.

Where in the district: The dungeons at Pontefract Castle.

Where to watch: Watch for free on YouTube.

FOUR IN A BED

TV Series | 2019 | Channel 4 | Season 14, episode 17 | 23 minutes | Rated 12

What: B&B owners throw open their doors and take turns to stay with one another – and pay what they consider is fair for their stay. The second visit in this round is to Glencoe Villa Guesthouse in Featherstone, owned by Ewa Hunt. The cosy bedrooms aren’t to everyone’s taste, and there’s a debate over dinner.

Where in the district: Featherstone’s Glencoe Villa Guesthouse and Pontefract Castle.

Where to watch: Watch for free on Channel 4.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton

TV Series | 2022 | ITV | 1 season | 4 episodes | 49 minutes | Rated 15

What: Based on Sara Collins’ award-winning novel of the same name, set against the dazzling opulence of Georgian London. This powerful drama follows the eponymous Frannie’s journey from a Jamaican plantation to the grand Mayfair mansion of celebrated scientist George Benham and his exquisitely beautiful wife, Madame Marguerite Benham.

Where in the district: South Parade, Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on ITVX.

SUSAN CALMAN’S GRAND DAY OUT

TV Series | 2022 | Channel 5 | Season 4, episode 5 | 58 minutes

What: Comedian Susan Calman travels the country in her vintage camper-van “Helen Mirren”, visiting places of interest, meeting local people and trying her hand at a range of activities – including making her own neon artwork! In this episode she returns to an old favourite: Yorkshire.

Where in the district: Wakefield’s Neon Workshops and Fusion Skating Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on My5.

Walking Tudor England

TV Series | 2021 | Channel 5 | Season 1, episode 6 | 45 minutes

What: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb wends her way around the country on the trail of history’s most fascinating dynasty. As Suzannah walks across the hills and dales of Yorkshire, she discovers the story of the Reformation at sites including St Mary’s Abbey, Markenfield Hall and Pontefract Castle.

Where in the district: Pontefract Castle.

Where to watch: Watch for free on My5.

KEVIN MCCLOUD AND THE BIG TOWN PLAN

TV Series | 2008 | Channel 4 | 4 episodes | 47-48 minutes

What: Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud follows an innovative community-led regeneration scheme in the former mining town of Castleford in Yorkshire.

Where in the district: Castleford.

Where to watch: Watch for free on Channel 4.

Who Do You Think You Are?

TV Series| Since 2004 | BBC | Series 20, episode 6 | Series 21, episode 1 | 60 minutes

What: Comedian and actor Emily Atack knows she is from a long line of larger-than-life entertainers. By following the family line up to Wakefield, Emily uncovers why her great-grandfather Bill fought so hard to get his family away from the pits. At Nostell Emily discovers a story of hardship, dangerous working conditions and struggles with mental health. The lives of her great-great-grandparents Joseph and Emily still resonate over 130 years later.

What: Actor Vicky McClure was watched by millions when she played Detective Inspector Kate Fleming, tracking down corrupt coppers in Line of Duty. Vicky discovers that her great-grandfather Harry was a coal miner in Yorkshire before the war and goes to meet former miner Pete Wordsworth at one of the last surviving pits in Yorkshire.

Where in the district: Nostell, National Trust and National Coal Mining Museum.

Where to watch: Watch Emily Atack’s episode and Vicky McClure’s episode for free on BBC iPlayer.

BLACK WORK

TV Series| 2015 | ITV | 1 series | 3 episodes | 60 minutes | Rated 15

What: Police constable Jo Gillespie’s world is thrown into turmoil when husband Ryan, an undercover police officer, is killed in mysterious circumstances. She resolutely sets out to discover who murdered him and has to confront difficult truths about her family life and marriage to Ryan. Starring Sheridan Smith and Douglas Henshall.

Where in the district: Castleford.

Where to watch: Watch for free on ITVX.

Watch the District

THIS SPORTING LIFE

Film | 1963 | 128 minutes | Rated 12A

What: Despite success on the field, a rising rugby star senses the emerging emptiness of his life as his inner angst begins to materialise through aggression, so he attempts to woo his landlady on hopes of finding a reason to live. Starring Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts.

Where in the district: Wakefield Trinity’s Belle Vue Stadium, Locarno night club on Kirkgate (now The Ridings Shopping Centre) and Prudential Buildings in Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on ITVX.

THE CITY OF WAKEFIELD PROMOTIONAL FILM

Promotional Film | 1965 | 16 minutes

What: Made by the Wakefield Amateur Cine Club this is promotional film about the city of Wakefield in 1965. The film presents Wakefield as an industrious, modern and progressive city, highlighting its shopping centres, schools, parks and gardens – plus a trip to the Wakefield Seaside School.

Where in the district: Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on the Yorkshire Film Archive website.

RESIDUE

TV Series | 2015 | Netflix | 3 episodes | 44 minutes | Rated 15

What: In the aftermath of a massive explosion, photojournalist Jennifer Preston begins to see phantoms in her photographs of the Quarantine Zone and launches a search for the truth behind what could be a vast government conspiracy. Starring Natalia Tena and Iwan Rheon.

Where in the district: The Hepworth Wakefield.

Where to watch: Watch for free on Pluto TV.

CLARA

TV Series Pilot | 2020 | 29 minutes

What: The first episode of a proposed historical drama series based on the diaries of Wakefield resident Clara Clarkson, an early suffragist and Unitarian who rejected social conventions around class and gender and publicly embraced the acceptance of all faiths.

Where in the district: St Peter’s Church, Warmfield, and the former “Cheesecake Inn”, a nearby farmhouse.

Where to watch: Watch for free on YouTube.

Don't Tell The Bride

TV Series | 2015 | Channel 4 | Season 10, episode 4 | 56 minutes

What: Brides give away any say in their big day as the grooms organise the wedding. In this episode, Ellie has specifically said that she wants no OTT themes or dwarf jokes in her wedding to Lee, who has dwarfism. So naturally, Lee is planning a Snow White-themed wedding complete with seven dwarfs…

Where in the district: Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Waterton Park Hotel.

Where to watch: Watch for free on Channel 4.

HAPPY VALLEY

TV Series | 2023 | BBC | Season 3, episode 2 | 58 minutes

What: Taking place seven years after the events of the second series, Catherine is coming close to retirement age. After being called to investigate the discovery of human remains found near a reservoir, she comes to realise the murder suspects share a history with Royce, who has since been transferred to a cell in Sheffield and is awaiting trial for a string of unseen offences.

Where in the district: HMP Wakefield, exterior.

Where to watch: Watch for free on BBC iPlayer.