Lights, camera, action! When Cowbridge came to the big screen

By Ellyn Wright

24th Mar 2021 | Local News

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Inspired by Casualty filming in Cowbridge last week, we decided to look back at the times our town has appeared on-screen…

Stella

Though Sky comedy Stella was mainly filmed in the Rhonda Valley, Cowbridge's Fich and Ramous was also used as a location for the series.

In season three, the award-winning salon was featured quite heavily and staff were even used as extras on set as characters visited 'Jensen's Salon'.

IG Nicholas Butchers was also used for filming once in the series.

Production meant a fleet of huge lorries were parked in town, either in the comprehensive school or at the livestock market.

Sherlock

Although the show is centred around the London-based detective at 221B Baker Street, many scenes for BBC Sherlock were filmed in Wales.

St Hilary was the main location for the modern retelling of 'The Hounds of Baskerville', this time involving a secret base where disturbing and quite possibly illegal animal experimentation took place.

The Bush Inn features as the Cross Keys pub in scenes with Sherlock Holmes, John Watson and Greg Lestrade, with the church yard also being used as a backdrop in the episode.

Journey's End

Set over four days during World War One, this feature-length version of the play by RC Sheriff stars Paul Bettany (A Knight's Tale, Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Sam Clafin (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hunger Games).

The film uses a range of Welsh locations, including Old Beaupre Castle as a stand-in for Northern France.

Doctor Who

Penllyn Castle, believed to be one of the first Norman keeps in the Glamorgan, was the set for scenes in the episode 'Tooth and Claw'.

In the episode, the Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria and battle an alien werewolf, while also dealing with malevolent monks.

Filming for the episode also took place at Llansannor Court, which can also be spotted in episodes such as 'The Unicorn and the Wasp' where the Doctor meets Agatha Christie and 'The Woman Who Lived'.

Llandough House was also used as the set for Vastra's Orchid House in Christmas Special 'The Snowmen'.

The house has been used as a filming location for many television programmes, including multiple episodes of Doctor Who, such as "The Unicorn and The Wasp", "The Woman Who Lived" and "Tooth and Claw".

Torchwood

Perhaps not as exciting as some of the other locations, Doctor Who's spin-off series Torchwood filmed stretches of the A48 by Cowbridge for the episode 'They Keep Killing Suzie'.

The episode itself, however, is tense and gripping as it grapples with resurrection technology, amnesia pills and betrayal. You'd expect nothing less from the after-watershed Doctor Who universe…

The Proposition

As well as Doctor Who, Llansannor Court was used to film manor scenes in the 1997 film The Proposition.

Set in nineteenth century Wales, a young widow and mother is threatened by her dead husband's unpaid gambling debts.

She must driver her cattle across the Welsh countryside in order to sell them at a distant market.

Parch

Produced by S4C, Parch was the first TV series written by the Welsh novelist, lecturer and singer, Fflur David.

A wedding party was filmed at Coed Hills Rural Artspace, which has its own wedding venue, so it was a case of dressing the room with a wedding buffet, and packing it with extras, while the actors filmed their dialogue scenes.

Have we missed anything off our list? Let us know on social media!

     

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