Rugged coastlines, countryside of emerald beauty, and historic castles. The canny North East of England continues attracting British and international productions. It’s steadily building its reputation as one of England’s premier filming destinations for period dramas, fantasy epics, and now, zombie masterpieces.Danny Boyleand Alex Garland’s28 Years Laterset up camp in spring last year, capturing the region, particularly Northumberland, at its best. That said, look past any screaming infected folks, and maybe The Jimmys.
From dewy forests to an island where, in real life, you must wait until the tide is out to cross,28 Years Laterhas helped with tourism (which will explode following the film’s release) and the economy too, creating many creative jobs that the industry might need to go elsewhere to do. It’s just lush up there – the folks and landscape, and, as Boyle told audiences at the Tyneside Cinema gala, the spirit. He also shared that the skies were special in the North East, with only Essex in the south boasting the same unusual hues. We’ll explain the locations where Boyle and company shot the film.
Sycamore Gap
It seems only right to start withSycamore Gap and its beloved tree. You may have heard this story as it hit the press. At 150 years old, the tree was a mythical splendor, attracting hikers, photographers, and tourists worldwide. But in 2023, the tree was illegally felled, causing a huge upset. Experts have predicted that the stump will grow again, but it will take another 150 years to bloom into the magnificent giant it once was.
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Most famously, he ’90s classicRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves(1991) captured a section of Hadrian’s Wall in the film, including the Sycamore Gap tree, andthe nickname “the Robin Hood tree” was born.The tree appears not once but twice in28 Years Later,as a digital recreation.Boyle told Sky Newsthat he hopes it will be “a wonderful tribute” to Northumberland’s iconic tree, realizing its significance to the region and beyond. At Tyneside Cinema, audiences gasped, becoming emotional seeing the icon on screen.
Lindisfarne/Holy Island
The remote island where the protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams), his mam Isla (Jodie Comer), and dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) live is Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, as it’s more widely known. Off the coast of Northumberland, it has a recorded history stretching back to the 6th century, when it became a powerhouse of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan and Cuthbert. The island remains cut off from the mainland twice daily when high tide submerges the causeway, stranding visitors who don’t check the tide tables. Did that slice of natural drama appeal to Boyle’s cinematic vision? Highly likely.
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Islanders must always have someone looking out for possible attacks, with people taking shifts to guard a large wooden gate at the crossing. Reflecting how remote communities historically lived, the inhabitants must abide by rules and uphold rituals, shown through traditional embroidered banners and customs in the pub — it all has the slight feel of the horror filmIngmar Bergman’sHour of the Wolf(1968). Holy Island is tiny but perfectly formed. It couldn’t be better for what Boyle wanted to portray.
The Angel of North and Redmire
As Spike and Isla spotthe Angel of the Northduring their mainland journey, Isla reminisces about her father’s stories of the landmark. Initially met with skepticism from locals, the Angel was erected in February 1998 and has since become one of the most recognized pieces of public art ever produced. Sir Antony Gormley’s rust-colored colossus stands in Gateshead at 65 feet high with a 175-foot wingspan. Gormley chose to make an angel to represent a guardian who welcomes travelers, creating a symbol that bridges the region’s gritty industrial past with its modern cultural identity.
A revelation in28 Years Lateris the Bone Temple. Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has created a remarkable yet incredibly upsetting towering structure built from the bones of the dead, forming ghostly tree-like monuments in open fields. It’s a profound segment of the film where we understand a metaphor for its theme of confronting death and loss.The filming happened next to the River Ure in Redmire, North Yorkshire— an area steeped in Roman heritage.Newcity Film reportedthe Bone Temple was “constructed with 250,000 replica bones and 5,500 skulls that took six months to amass.”
Where Have You Seen the Region Before?
28 Years Laterhas put the North East of England on the cinematic map, but this isn’t the area’s first brush with Hollywood fame. Alnwick Castle doubled as Hogwarts School in the first twoHarry Potterfilms. The castle’s Outer Bailey hosts Madame Hooch’s flying lessons and Quidditch training, creating a pilgrimage site for Potter fans from across the globe. Adaptable across different periods and genres, it blossomed into the festive Brancaster Castle forDownton Abbey’s Christmas specials.
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More recently,Transformers: The Last Knight(2017) employed Alnwick Castle and the clifftop Bamburgh Castle for sweeping exterior shots and interior sequences. That same landmark has enjoyed other successes inElizabeth (1998),Macbeth (2015), andIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny(2023).The Railway Man (2013)captured different aspects of Northumberland’s appeal, filming on Holy Island and showing the Victorian engineering of the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-Upon-Tweed.
See You Again Soon, Danny
Boyle’s masterpiece captures the area’s charm. From Newton-on-the-Moor’s natural beauty to Hexham’s Viking-era riverside atmosphere. Bellingham’s waterfalls and stone cottages provided storybook English charm, while Kielder Forest’s 250 square miles of dense woodland were the backdrop for heart-pounding chase sequences. Market town Rothbury, nestled between the Simonside and Cheviot Hills, Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, and even more locations rounded out the cinematic tour.
At Tyneside Cinema, Danny Boyle’s enthusiasm was infectious, declaring he’d return to film in the North East “in a heartbeat” – smitten with its stunning landscapes and famously warm people. We’d welcome him back with open arms.
