Liverpool’s historic architecture has set the scene for a number of blockbuster movies, hit TV shows and binge-worthy series, ranging from Harry Potter to Peaky Blinders.
Dubbed as the ‘Hollywood of the North’, Liverpool is one of the most filmed cities outside of London. Natalie Portman and John Krasinski are currently in town shooting scenes for director Guy Ritchie’s new heist movie Fountain of Youth.
The city’s historic architecture has also set the scene for box office films, including Captain America: The First Avenger, Fantastic Beasts and The Batman, plus huge drama’s like The Crown and Peaky Blinders.
In 2021, multi-million pound film studios The Depot opened with two purpose-built, 20,000 sq ft sound-proofed film and TV production units. Paramount+ became the first major long-term tenants as they filmed Sexy Beast over a period of seven months and plenty more movies and series have been shot on location since.
With the city being used as a double for everywhere from Moscow to New York, here’s 26 blockbuster films and TV shows that you probably didn’t know were filmed in Liverpool....
21. Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
Florence Foster Jenkins is a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. Starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, most of the exterior shots of the Big Apple are actually Liverpool city centre, including Water Street (pictured). Scenes were also shot in Hoylake. | Paramount/BBC Photo: Paramount/BBC
22. Hunt for Red October (1990)
Set during the Cold War, Liverpool doubled up as Moscow in the 1990 starring Sean Connery as a defecting Soviet submarine captain. Grade II listed County Sessions House was used during scenes with the Red Fleet Political Directorate and nearby William Brown Street (pictured) was covered in fake snow for outdoor scenes. | sas - stock.adobe.com Photo: sas - stock.adobe.com
23. The Responder (2021 and 2023)
A second series of thrilling crime drama The Responder aired in May 2024 and both series were set and filmed in Liverpool. The BAFTA nominated BBC crime drama stars Martin Freeman as a Scouse police officer and has more shots of Liverpool than any other show on the list - from Brunswick Station to Otterspool and The Strand. | Rekha Garton Photo: Rekha Garton
24. Yentl (1983)
Yentl, directed by and starring Barbra Streisand, is about a Jewish girl who disguises herself as a boy to enter religious training. The 1983 Hollywood blockbuster depicts Streisand leaving Europe on a boat for the USA, but it’s actually the Isle of Man ferry on the River Mersey. The extras in this final scene are members of Liverpool’s Jewish community. | United Artists Photo: United Artists