Lights, camera, Norfolk: 15 of the best films and TV shows where our county has a starring role

From buttoned-up period dramas to futuristic sci-fi thrillers, here’s where you’ll catch a glimpse of Norfolk on the big and small screen. Now all you need is popcorn…  

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (2024)

The American superhero film is the third instalment in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool franchise, which sees Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) leave behind the mantle of Deadpool for a normal civilian life. That is until he’s drafted in to help safeguard the multiverse, joining forces with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to complete the mission. 

Norfolk’s close-up: Holkham beach is one of the settings for Deadpool and Wolverine’s many adventures; the endless beauty of this stretch of sand, which is backed by pine woods, has seen it clock up some serious screen time over the years (read on to discover more).

THIS ENGLAND (2022)

Written by the award-winning Michael Winterbottom and Kieron Quirke, this six-part British TV series follows the first wave of the pandemic, based on the testimonies of those who worked with or around Boris Johnson (played by Kenneth Branagh) during the early months of his premiership, with Ophelia Lovibond playing Carrie Symonds.

Norfolk’s close-up: Locations include Wolterton Hall, an 18th century estate which masquerades as Downing Street and Chevening House; in the series, Boris pops into a butchers, which IRL is Coxfords in Aylsham, while the market town’s Church of St Michael also appears.   

TULIP FEVER (2017)

Adapted from Deborah Moggach’s novel by Sir Tom Stoppard, the romantic drama takes us to 17th century Amsterdam – during the height of ‘Tulip mania’ – when painter Jan (Dane DeHaan) embarks on a passionate affair with a married woman, Sophia (Alicia Vikander). The ensemble cast also includes Judi Dench and Tom Hollander.

Norfolk’s close-up: Norwich Cathedral stands in for a 17th-century Netherlands church, with filming taking place inside the historic building and in the cloister, which was filled with flowers and farm animals. Outdoor scenes are also shot on the beach at Holkham.

WICKED (2024)

Wicked is set in the Wizard of Oz universe, as we follow two wannabe witches – Ariane Grande as the beautiful Glinda and Cynthio Erivo as the green-skinned outcast Elphaba. When the Hollywood blockbuster hit screens in 2024, it became the biggest box office opening of a musical adaptation of all time and has been nominated for ten Oscars.

Norfolk’s close-up: A tulip field filled with millions of multi-hued blooms on a farm just outside King’s Lynn stars as Munchkinland. “They wanted something colourful and crisp,” the field’s owners have said. Hundreds of cast and crew stayed at Terrington Marsh during filming.   

THE DUCHESS (2008)

The period costume drama – based on a true story – is about 18th century aristocrat Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley), married off by her mother at the age of 16 to the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). Though she demonstrates bravery at the cruel hands of her husband, the new Duchess of Devonshire is reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.

Norfolk’s close-up: Holkham’s Palladian interiors are used to recreate the London residence of the Duke of Devonshire, with the Marble Hall featuring prominently. Keira returned to Holkham in 2010, to film scenes for Never Let Me Go at the beach.

THE SHEPHERD (2023)

A short but impactful film, based on a novella by Frederick Forsyth, about young RAF pilot Freddie Hooke (Ben Radcliffe) who, flying home across the North Sea, finds himself in peril when his radio and electric power cut out. Stranded and running on limited fuel, his luck turns when a mysterious good Samaritan (John Travolta) appears through the fog…   

Norfolk’s close-up: There was much excitement when A-lister Travolta was spotted in Morrisons in Fakenham. The Grease star had been filming nearby at the former RAF West Raynham, as well as RAF Sculthorpe and Castle Acre.

ANNIHILATION (2018)

This Alex Garland-penned and directed sci-fi thriller stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson and Oscar Isaac, amongst others, who play a group of scientists who enter the ‘Shimmer’ – a mysterious, perhaps paranormal, environmental disaster zone that is fast spreading through Florida. 
Norfolk’s close-up: Another claim to fame and name in bright lights forHolkham, as the vast swathe of beach and distinctive pine woods appear in this edge-of-your-seat horror-thriller.

ALAN PARTRIDGE: ALPHA PAPA (2013)

Steve Coogan reprises his role as North Norfolk Digital’s infamous (read: tactless, inept and with an inflated eg0) presenter Alan Partridge in this British comedy, about an aggrieved employee who takes the radio station staff hostage. Partridge finds himself at the centre of the siege and (spoiler alert) becomes an unlikely hero.

Norfolk’s close-up: The radio station is in Norwich, and much of the action takes place on the city’s streets (look out for St Peters Street and Dereham Road). The nearby seaside town of Cromer also has a starring role, with the pier the setting for the film’s final showdown.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998)

William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) has writer’s block in this multiple Oscar-winning period romantic comedy – until, that is, he falls in love with Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) and is inspired to write his masterpiece Romeo and Juliet. Many of the characters, lines and plot twists have a Shakespearean nuance.
Norfolk’s close-up: A shipwrecked Gwynnie strides across the ivory Holkham beach – which doubles up as the shores of Virginia – in the closing scenes of the box office smash hit. Just a couple of years later, All Saints used the beach for the video for their hit Pure Shores.

DAD’S ARMY (1968-1977)

The much-loved British TV sitcom (nine series, 80 episodes in total) follows the one-of-a-kind characters in the Home Guard – a platoon of local volunteers composed of men too old, young or infirm for military service – as they manned the UK’s small towns and seaside resorts, shadowed by the ever-present threat of invasion from Hitler.

Norfolk’s close-up: Thetford was the main filming location – you’ll spy its Guildhall, the Palace Cinema and several flint cottages. And don’t panic! There’s now a tiny museum dedicated to the long-running BBC sitcom starring Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier and Clive Dunn.

THE GO-BETWEEN (1971)

Adapted from a novel by L.P.Hartley, the period drama stars Dominic Guard as teenager Leo Colson who develops a crush on charming young aristocrat Marian (Julie Christie). So much so, he agrees to carry messages between her and Alan Bates, a handsome neighbouring farmer, who are engaged in an illicit affair across the class divide.

Norfolk’s close-up: Most of the action centres on Melton Constable Hall. Once the home of the Astley family for some 300 years, it’s one of the finest Christopher Wren-style houses in England, with gardens designed by Capability Brown.

KINGDOM (2007 – 2009)

Norfolk-based solicitor Peter Kingdom (played by real-life Norfolk habitué Stephen Fry) handles various cases brought to him by family, colleagues and the eccentric residents of his fictional hometown Market Shipborough in this television series, which also stars Celia Imrie, Hermione Norris, Phyllida Law and the late Tony Slattery.

Norfolk’s close-up: Market Shipborough is actually the bustling market town of Swaffham. The office of Kingdom & Kingdom is Elizabethan Oakleigh House, while The Greyhound pub stands in for the sitcom’s local, The Startled Duck.

SPENCER (2021)

It’s Christmas 1991 and we’re drawn into the existential crisis Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) is having at Sandringham House in Norfolk, when she’s considering ending her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) and leaving the Royal Family for good. Pablo Larraín’s film is a haunting insight into the princess’s state of mind at this time.  

Norfolk’s close-up: The interiors and exteriors of Sandringham are in fact castles in Germany, but the cast and crew did spend time in Norfolk. You’ll spy Hunstanton beach, while the church in Shropsham village steps in for Sandringham’s St. Mary Magdalene Church.

MARY & GEORGE (2024)

Oscar and Bafta-winning Julianne Moore stars as Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham in this seven-part British TV historical drama series set in the 1600s. We watch as she molds her son George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (Nicholas Galitzine) to seduce King James I and become his lover, making him (and her) richer and more influential than ever before.
Norfolk’s close-up: There was much excitement in June 2023 when trucks were spotted in the cliff top car parks at Old Hunstanton Beach, where a short stretch of the coastline – famous for its red and white striped cliffs – was closed off for filming.  

MASTERS OF THE AIR (2024)

The story: The nine-part $250million miniseries, produced by Steven Speilberg and Tom Hanks and starring Austin Butler, Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan, follows the brave bomber pilots of the US 8th Air Force who were based at Thorpe Abbotts Airfield in Norfolk. It was their courage that helped defeat Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Norfolk’s close-up: Although Masters of the Air is set in Norfolk, none of it was actually filmed here. That said, you can learn more about this historical sequence of events at the American Library in the Forum in Norwich city centre.