Emma Corrin in a scene from The Crown
(Picture: AP)The City of London is cashing in on a filming boom that has seen income from providing locations for hit shows including The Crown double in the past year.
Netflix’s royal drama, whose stars have included Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, below, and Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, recently used Mansion House as a location for its new series. Crews working for Disney, Netflix and Apple TV have all been in the City in the past few months.
One team working on spy thriller Treason, starring Olga Kurylenko, was spotted using Southwark Bridge as a backdrop for their Netflix show.
An upcoming Marvel movie about the Spider-Man comic supervillain Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and with the working title Spiral, was filmed on London Wall, Ludgate Hill and Millennium Bridge over several weekends.
Meanwhile, Apple TV crews have been busy filming at locations across the Square Mile including the Barbican, Leadenhall Market, Cornhill and Finsbury Circus.
A report for the City Corporation’s communications and corporate affairs committee says: “The filming industry is going through a global boom, fuelled by American streaming companies.”
It goes on to say the “exceptionally high level of filming” saw income more than double in the 2021-22 financial year earning £1.3 million for the City’s coffers — compared with an average figure for the past five years of £572,000.
“With a unique blend of world-class green spaces, cultural icons and stunning architecture, we are seeing a huge demand from both global and domestic production companies,” it states.
The fifth season of The Crown, which is in production with Imelda Staunton playing the Queen and Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair, is expected to return this year for more filming.
Shooting is also set to take place for new Apple TV and Netflix dramas called Embankment and Straight Shooter.
City of London Corporation policy chairman Chris Hayward said: “This high level of filming is a clear sign of the Square Mile’s recovery from the pandemic.”
The report says the corporation is building on high demand for filming by establishing a film location library to improve its marketing of sites to film makers.
It does, however, acknowledge Netflix’s recent fall in subscriptions, saying: “It remains to be seen if this and the current rise in the cost of living will impact on the levels of filming.”
