Film and television productions spent more than £6m in Somerset last year, according to the latest Screen Somerset estimates.
The figures come ahead of the release of two more major productions that have shot in Somerset locations: Masters of the Universe and season two of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Masters of the Universe, a blockbuster outing for the 80s cartoon set on the magical planet of Eternia, filmed at Wells Cathedral and Wookey Hole Caves last summer. With a cast including Somerset’s very own James Purefoy as King Randor, father of Prince Adam/He-Man, the film is scheduled for release in the UK on 3 June.
Season two of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is due for release on Netflix and the BBC on 27 May, following the big success of season one in 2024. Starring Emma Meyer as teenage sleuth Pip, the Somerset town of Axbridge again takes centre stage as the fictional location of Little Kilton.
These two are among the feature films and High End TV shows that filmed in the county last year with the help of Screen Somerset. Along with many smaller TV shows and documentaries, in 2025/26 filming brought an estimated £6.6m of spend to the county, much of which will have been in the hotel and hospitality sector.
Screen Somerset is the Somerset Council film office, supported last year by funding from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). It helps, encourages and celebrates filming in the county in recognition of the economic and wider benefits filming can bring.
Other exciting projects recently assisted by Screen Somerset include Dawn French’s BBC comedy series Can You Keep A Secret, the three-part Netflix series Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Bafta-nominated prison drama Wasteman, hit comedy feature film Mother’s Pride and Guy Ritche’s Young Sherlock series on Prime Video.
As well as the money spent in the local economy while productions are in the county, appearing on screen can be a major boost for employment and local tourism.
Somerset has so much to offer the screen industry, said Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Economic Development Planning and Assets. “We have the locations, Bristol’s great studios on our doorstep and lots of local talent.
As well as the spend that comes when crews are in the county, appearing on screen can have benefits for the visitor economy. You only have to look at the continued impact of Hot Fuzz in Wells to see how powerful it can be.
Screen Somerset helps filmmakers find locations and helps shoots run smoothly so they are keen to come back. It provides a single point of contact, local knowledge, and works with the Council’s highways, parking and property services, and works with Visit Somerset and Visit Exmoor to capitalise on Screen Tourism opportunities.
The project also proactively promotes the county to regional, national and international location managers, working closely with Creative England’s Filming in England Partnership which is responsible for promoting filming outside London.
In 2024/25, High End TV and feature film spend across the South West region was estimated at £39.5m.
Charlotte Wood, Production Liaison Manager for the South West region at Creative England’s Filming in England, said:
Somerset is perfectly positioned in close proximity to the main production hub of Bristol, with a dedicated point of contact liaising with filmmakers and offering a range of impressive landscapes from Cheddar Gorge, to the historic city of Wells and stunning Exmoor coastline, benefitting from the positive economic contribution filming brings to the local area.
And the South West as a whole boasts a strong industry network through established studios, film-friendly locations and Film Office provision, providing the perfect backdrop for production activity.
