Movies and television shows bring £2m into Portsmouth and Hampshire

Shows such as Flog It and Strictly Come Dancing have shot scenes in the city while film stars Anthony Hopkins and Mark Wahlberg were spotted in Gosport as part of the new Transformers film Transformers: The Last Knight.

And Friends star Matt Le Blanc was in Cosham for the BBC’s Top Gear.

In the past year, Hampshire has made £1.9m from these productions – a rise from £1.2m made last year. The money includes money paid to use locations and also cash paid to local production companies.

Leader of Portsmouth City Council Donna Jones said: ‘We have been very fortunate to have a substantial amount of television coverage.

‘The America’s Cup reached 1.5bn homes on television around the world.

‘We’ve had coverage in ITV, Channel 4 and most recently BBC when Top Gear came to the north of the city. Portsmouth featuring on the television is great. It shows how lovely our beautiful city is and how it helps sustain the 11,000 jobs for people working in tourism.’

Elsewhere in the county, Winchester was the backdrop for Netflix show The Crown while Winchester College was home to scenes of Evelyn Waugh’s Decline and Fall starring Eva Longoria, Jack Whitehall and David Suchet.

Hampshire also featured as the backdrop for a recent Mercedes and Asda television commercial.

The county council’s film office Film Hampshire promotes the area as a great place for productions, TV series and advertising shoots.

Executive member for economic development Councillor Mel Kendal said: ‘The increase in filming in the county is great for the local economy, seeing our own businesses and talent flourish within the industry is fantastic news.

‘We have some amazing and diverse locations that we are able to showcase, and interest in filming within the county is evidence of that.’