The streets of Manchester are often taken over and transformed by huge productions for TV shows and for blockbuster films
It’s a pretty common occurrence in the city to stumble across a huge set, whether it’s New York-style taxis cruising through the Northern Quarter or stunt men dangling from the top of buildings.
It’s also quite common to be settling down in the cinema, or at home with Netflix, and being greeted by an unexpectedly familiar scene on the screen.
In recent years, eagle-eyed viewers were kept busy trying to spot all the local locations scattered across smash hit Netflix drama Stay Close.
But there have been plenty of other instances where our hometown of Manchester has been a calling point for Hollywood films and hit series.
The Manchester Film and TV map has itineraries, behind-the-scenes information, and exclusive experiences to enhance their cinematic journey through Greater Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bobby Cochrane, Film Office Manager at Screen Manchester, said: “Every day we are privileged to explore Manchester’s magnificence as we open the city up to producers from all corners of the globe. We then enjoy the greatest job satisfaction when locations we have secured appear in all manner of genres across a spectrum of platforms.
“This new map is a brilliant initiative, which will allow visitors to get up close and personal with some of the places where their on-screen heroes have played out their roles. We were delighted to help curate the information included and look forward to being able to add a whole host of new locations in the future thanks to a rich pipeline of productions filmed in the city releasing throughout 2025 and beyond.”
And in the meantime, here are some of the biggest films and television series that were shot here in Manchester so you can explore without leaving your couch.
ADVERTISEMENT
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders scenes filmed on Mangle Street in the Northern Quarter. Credit: Netflix UK
Cillian Murphy and co have frequently popped up to Manchester to film scenes of the hit gangster series – despite the Peaky Blinders actually living in Birmingham.
For the most recent series, huge sets and crews were spotted in Castlefield, while in previous years dramatic gun fights have been filmed around London Road Fire Station and on Mangle Street in the Northern Quarter.
Even Tommy Shelby’s massive mansion is up north – Netflix uses Arley Hall in Cheshire to double up as his pad.
Some of the most iconic moments in the drama were filmed here, like the horse auction at Victoria Baths, and the political rally outside the Stockport Plaza.
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice at Lyme Park. Credit: BBC
Ah yes – Colin Firth in a wet shirt. A truly memorable moment of British television.
ADVERTISEMENT
This legendary scene was filmed at Lyme Park in Cheshire as part of the BBC’s 1995 retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
So famous has wet Colin become, it’s been referenced in several of his films since, including Love Actually, Bridget Jones, and St Trinian’s.
Colin aside, it’s a stunning setting for the period drama, with the National Trust mansion rising high above the lake.
Captain America
Captain America scenes shot in the Northern Quarter
It’s not every day you see a Marvel superhero strolling past the cafes and bars in the Northern Quarter – but that’s exactly what happened back in 2010 when Captain America came to town.
The hero is seen sprinting through 1940s New York in a dramatic chase scene, complete with explosions… because Marvel.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was a massive operation to dress the sets, with fake shop fronts installed, posters stuck up and even temporary street lights added in.
The Crown
The Crown scenes in Manchester. Credit: Netflix UK
Stevenson Square was completely transformed into Manhattan for the season four finale of The Crown, which showed Princess Diana’s trip to New York.
A fleet of yellow taxis and vintage cars rolled through the Northern Quarter, surrounded by American street signs, traffic lights, and even trash cans.
Elsewhere in the episode, the city centre’s streets were used for basketball games, hospital visits and more, right across Back Piccadilly, Dale Street, and Peter Street.
Stay Close
The Refuge in Stay Close. Credit: Netflix UK
It’s the Netflix show people haven’t stopped talking about this month, as another of Harlan Coben’s thrillers has been converted for TV.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stay Close was filmed all over Greater Manchester and the north west, including Blackpool and parts of Lancashire.
There were multiple locations in Manchester city centre itself though, like the above hen do scene in The Refuge, a stag do in the The Edwardian hotel, and multiple scenes filmed inside Impossible.
It’s a Sin
It’s A Sin outside Clampdown Records in Manchester. Credit: Channel 4
It’s A Sin is one of Channel 4’s most sensational dramas of all time, following the lives of a group of gay men living through the early years of the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
The heart-breaking series was written by Russell T Davis, an adopted Manc who also shot his groundbreaking Queer as Folk in the city.
Although It’s A Sin is mostly set in London, it was a familiar Manchester setting that was used for ‘The Pink Palace’ where the characters lived.
ADVERTISEMENT
Clampdown Record’s cheerfully retro signage didn’t even need updating for the 1980s programme.
The Stranger
The Stranger filming on St Peter’s Square. Credit: Netflix UK
The Stranger was another smash-hit success for Netflix and author Harlan Coben.
Its locations in Manchester included the arched walkway at St Peter’s Square, a stunning house in Didsbury, the cafe near Manchester Cathedral, and even The French inside the Midland Hotel, which was the scene of a karaoke sing-song.
Cold Feet
The cast of Cold Feet in Castlefield. Credit: ITV
Cold Feet is a Manchester TV show through and through – the stars are seen all over the city centre ever since it started in 1997.
From drinking in the pub (both The Swan With Two Nicks and The Woodstock feature) to getting married outside the Great Northern, watching Cold Feet gives Mancs serious deja vu.
ADVERTISEMENT
The above scene was shot by the canals in Castlefield.
Featured image: Netflix UK / BBC
TV & Showbiz
Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
Review | Some of the most fun you can have at a theatre – Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Danny Jones
On Wednesday night, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time: we went to a concert almost completely blind and walked in without having heard a single second – because how many times in life are you going to get the chance to say you’ve seen Jeff Goldblum music live in Manchester?
We can comfortably say it wasn’t just one of our favourite shows of the year so far, but it might be one of the best decisions we’ve made, maybe ever…
Honestly, there’s not even a whiff of exaggeration in that statement; within minutes of the headline date starting, a long, hard day suddenly melted away in the smooth, sultry, stylish and unapologetically silly atmosphere created by Jeff Goldblum and the truly wonderful Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
For starters, we were pleasantly surprised to see ‘Bonnie Scotland’s very own Liverpool-based singer-songwriter, Brooke Combe, opening up for the man himself, whose soulful, 1960s, 70s and Motown influences made for a perfect fit to warm up the crowd.
With the North West favourite – who we recently caught once again at NBHD Weekender late last month – even getting a perhaps initially hesitant and very possibly more Theatre-leaning audience inside the Palace to relax with some fun vocal exercises and Scottish banter, we were off to the races.
But in truth, this show turned out to be so much more than we were expecting – and by that we don’t mean when Brooke joined him on stage for a spell and had him try his first Irn-Bru…
In our heads, we were kind of expecting to see Goldblum, 73, playing his beloved piano as other members of the jazz band got to enjoy a few moments centre-stage as those who sat watching admired their sheer technical ability.
Where we actually landed was somewhere between a live and just the right amount of chaotic stream-of-consciousness stand-up show, interlaced with a series of effortlessly charming and loose bits of crowdwork as if he were compèring, and, of course, the incredibly cool musical arrangements.
It may not have been entirely free-form (it’s clear that a lot of time, effort and tireless rehearsal go into this shindig), but it did have the feeling that things were unfolding organically as the night went on, the perfect example being specifically for Manchester, with each local reference getting a rousing reception.
His latest LP is going down a treat with the critics in the early reviews, too, and having now heard a few samples, we’re not surprised.
As Jeff said at the top of the show, the best bit about this music is watching these marvellous musicians effectively jamming and playing call and response, not only with each other but you down below – not to mention with the man himself vamping over the top and enjoying plenty of solos on the keys.
Aside from crowd-pleasing arrangements of contemporary and well-known tracks like ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift and even his own bittersweet and oh-so-gentle take on ‘Over The Rainbow’, it felt not just like an intro to some cult favourites from within the genre, but a serviceable broad-strokes education at times.
Personally, we’ve always liked to think of ourselves as open to anything, sonically, albeit fairly limited when it comes to jazz, but we left feeling like we knew more about the mechanics and flow of a jazz gig than ever; we’re now eager to learn more and dive deeper into the syllabus curated by this superfan.
One very special mention also has to go to session singer Khailah Johnson, who recently shone in the & Juliet production on Broadway and is now currently on tour with Jeff on his Night Blooms run.
Believe us, she’s not merely performing ‘beside’ anyone; when you have a voice and presence that’s so big and has such range that you generate enough star-power for people to genuinely forget that a Hollywood actor is there right next to you, you KNOW you’re beyond talented. Simply spellbinding.
The whole crew had a lovely, laid-back quality that was just infectious. (Credit: Lucy Elson-Whittaker)
And then we have the A-lister himself, who clearly doesn’t only have the gift of the jab and a natural penchant for pageantry, but looks so at home up there that we would happily trade ever seeing him in a film again if it meant we could have the next few decades watching him be the live showman that he is.
For anyone who feared Jeff Goldblum’s music career might just be a famous bloke indulging himself in a side project and cashing in on fandom simply because he can, fret not: this man has as much passion, love and aptitude for jazz and this particular side of showbiz as any role we’ve seen him play, if not more.
Whether it be playing movie trivia games with those in the stalls, thanking fans he bumped into at his hotel, or inviting people there for a special occasion backstage, he ticked almost every box you could have asked for, from the cabaret vibes and Jurassic Park puns to simply playing his socks off.
The new album that gives its name to this current slate of live shows is much more than a play on words. Be it the soft and warm hues of the coloured spotlights, the off-the-cuff comedy interludes, or even the pure giggle-fits in the audience, the Palace Theatre was bursting with joy, life and vibrancy.
We sincerely hope Jeff Goldblum has grown as fond of the city as he claims, and that we get to watch him play a Manchester venue every year.
Daisy Jackson -
24th January 2025 
