Film and TV

Portsmouth has featured in countless TV shows and film productions, with the city’s naval sites, seafront and fortifications providing a great backdrop. Here are some of the times the Great Waterfront City has graced the small and silver screens.

Les Miserables

Perhaps the biggest blockbuster to reach Portsmouth is the 2012 version of Victor Hugo’s classic, Les Miserables. Not just that, but the very first scene of the musical – which starred Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway - was shot in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. In the scene, Jean Valjean (Jackman) and a cohort of convicts pull a ship into the docks under the watchful eye of Javert (Crowe). Perhaps unsurprisingly, it caused quite a stir when Jackman later headed to Gunwharf Quays for a bite to eat following a day’s intense filming.

Tomorrow Never Dies

007 has also spent some time in Portsmouth, in 1997 flick Tomorrow Never Dies. HMS Westminster stood in for the fictional Type 23 frigates (HMS Chester, HMS Devonshire and HMS Bedford) in the film, for the scenes where Britain readies itself for engagement with the Chinese.

Bond returned to the area more recently, with a sailing scene in the upcoming blockbuster No Time To Die being filmed on the Solent back in 2019.

Tommy

Some films make an indelible mark on their filming locations in terms of putting it on the map, or getting people talking. Tommy, on the other hand, saw a more physical mark left on Portsmouth, with South Parade Pier burning down during filming. Director Ken Russell famously left the cameras rolling as local firefighters assembled to try and put out the blaze, with this footage making it into the final film. As it happens, this was just one of three devastating fires at the pier which, today, has been lovingly restored and still stands.

South Parade Pier wasn’t the only location featured in Tommy. The scene involving title character Tommy’s battle with Local Lad (played by Elton John) to become Pinball Wizard was filmed at the Kings Theatre.

Other locations you can spot in the film include Hilsea Lido, Fort Purbrook and St Andrew’s Church.

Mr Bean

Rowan Atkinson’s hapless nobody got into his typical scrapes in Portsmouth on two separate occasions. First, he spent the night at the Queens Hotel, getting into trouble with the staff and fellow guests along the way. Then, in another episode, Bean headed to the funfair, but ended up inadvertently stealing a child after its pram caught on the famous Mini. As Bean tries to reunite the baby and mother, the scenes take in a whistle-stop tour of Clarence Pier, around the arcades and fairground rides.

Mansfield Park

It should come as little surprise that the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel featured Portsmouth quite heavily, as so much of the plot concerns protagonist Fanny Price’s time in the city. Price was raised in a cottage near the docks, but then moves out to the opulent and lavish Mansfield Park, owned by her uncle, St Thomas. It’s not long, however, before St Thomas expels Fanny back to Portsmouth, for spurning the advances of eligible bachelor Henry Crawford. Though much of the 1999 movie was filmed on location in Nottingham, Portsmouth is listed among the locations too.

Vanity Fair

ITV’s latest big-budget version of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair needed a shot of sailors boarding a ship as they prepare to sail to Belgium. Though all the internal shots were filmed at Chatham Historic Dockyard, viewers can easily spot that the outside of the ship is our very own HMS Victory – once the pride of Admiral Lord Nelson.

The Last Vermeer (Lyrebird)

Legendary director Ridley Scott came to Portsmouth to film what was, at the time, to be called Lyrebird, but later changed to The Last Vermeer. Roads along Portsdown Hill were closed for filming and feature in the final cut, along with scenes filmed at Fort Widley on top of the hill overlooking Portsmouth.

  

You can get further information on filming in Portsmouth, or submit an enquiry, via the Portsmouth City Council website.