Bracknell may be best known as a 1960s New Town, but its streets, estates, and woodlands have played supporting roles in some of cinema and television's most memorable productions. From Sean Connery psychological thrillers to Harry Potter's magical forests, the town has quietly built an impressive screen portfolio.
Early Appearances: The 1970s Crime Wave
The town's first major brush with fame came in 1971 when the gangster film Villain arrived with Richard Burton and Ian McShane in tow. Director Michael Tuchner chose Bracknell's Southern Industrial Estate for a pivotal "wages snatch" scene, filming outside the former Clark Eaton glass factory on Ellesfield Avenue. Viewers can spot the distinctive ICL tower block looming in the background as the gang make their getaway along Peacock Lane, eventually hijacking a car at the junction with the footpath from Tarmans Copse, now part of the Jennett's Park estate.
Just a year later, in March and April 1972, psychological thriller The Offence brought an even bigger star to Bracknell. Sean Connery, then at the height of his fame, filmed scenes in the Wildridings Mill Pond area and at Point Royal in Easthampstead. The listed Point Royal flat served as the home of Connery's troubled police detective character. While interior sequences were shot at Twickenham Studios, the Bracknell exteriors provided the film's gritty suburban backdrop.
Fantasy and Music: The 1980s and 1990s
Bracknell's most whimsical screen appearance came in 1981 when Terry Gilliam's time-travelling fantasy Time Bandits filmed at Birch Hill. The estate's distinctive architecture and surrounding spaces helped create the film's dreamlike atmosphere.
A decade later, in 1991, Roger Daltrey's film Buddy's Song also featured Bracknell locations, adding the town to its modest but growing list of musical connections.
The Wizarding World Arrives
Perhaps Bracknell's most globally recognised screen appearance came with the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) filmed at Martins Heron, bringing a touch of magic to the local estate. Later, the town's woodlands took centre stage when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Parts 1 and 2 used Swinley Forest as a filming location. The 2,600-acre Crown Estate woodland provided the perfect atmospheric setting for the fantasy series' later, darker instalments.
Swinley Forest's screen appeal extends beyond wizards. The Bracknell Forest Council notes that the area has also hosted productions including Broadchurch and Teletubbies, demonstrating the forest's versatility as a location.
Television Takes Notice
Bracknell has proven equally attractive to television producers. The BBC's The Wrong Mans was set almost entirely in the town, with filming taking place at Jubilee Gardens and Bracknell Town Centre. The series gave locals the rare treat of seeing their everyday surroundings transformed into a crime capper backdrop.
Long-running detective drama Pie in the Sky gave Bracknell a fictional identity, renaming the town "Laxton" for the series. Waterside Park served as the exterior location for the fictional police headquarters, while South Hill Park has also featured in productions over the years.
Other television credits include an episode of Road Wars which followed a pursuit ending in the Bracknell Forest Borough Council's Time Square offices in Market Street. The town has also appeared in Midsomer Murders, Man Down, and The Undateables, with locations including The Look Out cafe, Sandhurst School, and Pope's Meadow.
South Hill Park: A Cultural Stage
Beyond serving as a location, Bracknell has nurtured its own screen culture through South Hill Park Arts Centre. The 24-acre estate, originally built in 1760, became a BBC studio in 1953 before opening to the public as an arts centre in October 1973. The Wilde Theatre, opened by Princess Anne in 1984 and named after Oscar Wilde (who created the character Lady Bracknell), has hosted countless performances and screenings over four decades.
Bracknell's Screen Appeal
What draws filmmakers to Bracknell? The answer lies in the town's unique visual character. Its New Town architecture provides a distinctly British modernist aesthetic, while the surrounding forests and estates offer versatile natural and suburban settings within easy reach of London. Wildridings Mill Pond, Point Royal's distinctive flats, and the sprawling woodlands of Swinley Forest all offer directors ready-made atmospheres without the expense and disruption of central London filming.
For residents, the result is an occasional glimpse of familiar streets transformed for the silver screen, a reminder that this Berkshire New Town has played its part in some of cinema's biggest moments.