Hooray for Norlywood!

Norfolk Screen is hoping to bring more of the current UK filming boom to the county. It’s estimated the UK film industry grew to £6.27 billion in 2022 with blockbusters like Barbie, Oppenheimer and mini-series Masters of the Air. The UK film and TV industry employs 180,000 people and puts the UK on the global stage bringing overseas visitors from far and wide.

Why and where is Norlywood?

Why Norlywood? Well it’s an almost obvious reference to Hollywood. So it’s a typically Norfolk play on words. The original movie business borrowed its name from a property developers sign erected in the Hollywood Hills in 1923. Their 15m high white letters spelled out the advertising for ‘Hollywoodland’. In 1943 the letters spelling ‘land’ were removed and the rest is history.

There’s no iconic sign for Norlywood (yet) Norfolk’s own hopeful future film heritage. Perhaps it’s the shortage of hills preventing such a thing. Although maybe the Beeston Bump could be a contender for some big white iconic lettering?

The Go-Between – Norfolk’s most famous film

My memories of North Norolk’s heritage as a filming location stretches all the way back to 1971 and possibly one of the most famous productions ever shot in the county – The Go-Between starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates. I remember it so well because my dad was in it. Ok, not a starring role and his name isn’t in the credits – because he’s playing a background actor as they’re now politely termed. Back then they were simply called ‘extras’. But my dad is very clearly in the final edited film playing a well-to-do country gent standing smartly dressed in period costume, complete with bowler hat, in Norwich’s historic Tombland. He was cast because he was a regular among the Maddermarket Theatre’s Norwich Players (Roger Foulkes). Much of the hugely successful movie was filmed around Melton Constable and it really put Norfollk on the film-making map when The Go-Between won the Palme d’Or at the 1971 Cannes film festival.

Shakespeare In Love

And then filming in Norfolk was less prominent until 1999 and Shakespeare In Love starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. The sequence shot on the National Trust’s wide and sweeping Holkham beach later attracted visitors in huge numbers keen to see the heartstopping scenery for themselves.

But perhaps Norfolk on location has been most regularly seen in the TV series Dad’s Army which is rarely off our screens despite being filmed from 1968 – 1977. The exterior locations for many of the 80 episodes were filmed around Thetford. But when it came to the 1971 movie Norfolk was given the cold shoulder and doesn’t feature.

In 2013 Steve Coogan brought his fictional Alan Partridge, star of mid-morning matters on Radio Norwich, to Norfolk for the big screen. Alpha Papa even climaxed in a big sequence on Cromer Pier and Coogan chose to premier the film in Norwich rather than London.

The last time there was starry filming in Cromer was in 2020 with scenes featuring actor Ben Chaplin shot for the Netflix film drama The Big Dig starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. But you won’t see Cromer beach in the finished movie becuase the honeymoon sequence filmed there was dropped from the final cut. The director Simon Stone described the scenes as beautiful, but explained later there just wasn’t time to include them.

Norfolk – coming to a screen near you – soon

In 2024 Norfolk Screen announced a new 2 year partnership with Norfolk County Council’s film office to promote the county to film crews. Norfolk has some great natural and historical locations and it’s largely free from many of the film-making annoyances like overhead pylons spoiling the view, frequent aircraft noise and busy motorways. The initiative will discover whether having a dedicated front door for film makers will encourage them to bring their projects to the county. For film makers being made welcome always smooths the way and can have huge benefits in terms of access to locations, requesting road closures, and hiring crew, so partnerships are a win-win.

Filming also brings many economic and cultural benefits to a county. While location filming is underway, cafe’s, hotels and hospitality all do well and when the film is released or shown on TV these businesses benefit again as visitors come hoping to glimpse the locations for themselves. There’s no doubt a starring role in a hit movie or TV series is good for toursim. In North Norfolk tourist spending is calculated to contribute up to 30% of the local economy.

We’ve signed North Cottage Cromer up as a possible filming location but we’re not expecting any of the Fiennes family to check in yet, even though they seem to love filming around these parts and Jake Fiennes, Ralph’s younger brother is Director of Conservation at Holkham. Keep your eyes peeled for Norfolk on the big and small screen in the coming 24 months.

For a comprehensive list of all the movies filmed in the county Norfolk Screen has complied an exhaustive list. Did you know Marvel The Avenger’s HQ was set in Norwich? Discover where here.

Why not come and stay at North Cottage Cromer while you’re exploring Norfolk’s history on film? We’re very close to Alan Partridge’s Cromer Pier, and not so very far from Holkham Beach. We’d love to see you.

Tags: Norfolk on Film, Norfolk Film and TV, Norfolk filming locations