Watford is a perfect shooting location, as the open spaces and parks make for a great cinematic scene and the industrial streets and town create a busy atmosphere if required.
Watford has been a popular location for film and TV productions, including dramas, adverts, documentaries, and pop promos.
Check out our picks and if you know of any that we might have missed, then please let us know and we’ll add them on the list.
David Brent: Life on the Road (2016)
Life on the Road is a 2016 British mockumentary comedy film written, directed, and produced by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Gervais as David Brent, a character he played in the BBC television comedy series ‘The Office’, who has a film crew that shadows him as he travels up and down the country living his dream of being a rock star. Gervais said, “This film delves much more into his private life than The Office ever did and we really get to peel back the layers of this extraordinary, ordinary man.” He has emphasised that it is “not an Office film”.
The comedian, Ricky Gervais, was spotted in Watford town centre holding a Costa coffee cup and filming one scene in High street.
The History Boys (2006)
British comedy-drama film adapted by Alan Bennett from his play of the same name, which won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play. Watford Grammar school for boys and Watford Grammar school for girls was used for the film, The History Boys.
Johnny English (2003)
Both the Johnny English films, starring Rowan Atkinson, have scenes shot in Hertfordshire. The 2003 original was filmed in locations such as St Albans Cathedral and Watford’s Leavesden Park.
Star Wars (1999)
Whippendell Wood has been used as a filming location for Star Wars; exterior shots for scenes set on the planet Naboo were filmed here for the 1st Episode: The Phantom Menace.
Harry Potter films
The iconic Warner Bros Studios have been the home of Harry Potter as well other blockbusters including James Bond, Fast and Furious and the Mission Impossible franchises.
One of Harry Potter filming locations is the Warner Bros Studio, home of the Warner Bros Studio Tour. The film studio is where all eight of the Harry Potter films were actually filmed, and they have retained a great many of the sets, clothing, and props from the movies. You can visit the Great Hall, the railway station, numerous filming locations from inside Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, and even Diagon Alley.