BBC Filming in the Town Centre
01/07/2010, 11.00am BBC FILMING GETS UNDERWAY IN SHEPTON MALLET
As the last few revellers leave this year’s Glastonbury Festival, just down the road another part of Mendip is ready to be thrust into the national limelight.
Today, a television crew will begin filming a primetime BBC1 series in Shepton Mallet’s town centre.
Dubbed ‘The High Street’, it will take a peek at shopping through the decades.
Programme makers from Wall to Wall (a Shed Media Group Company) have been invited to Shepton Mallet by Mendip District Council, which has been working closely with other councils, organisations and businesses to ensure the filming was brought to the town.
Today, motorists in and around Shepton Mallet are being warned of some restricted access to the Market Place and lower part of the High Street on selected dates as filming gets underway.
Stewards will man the restricted access from Great Ostry, where motorists will be asked to wait or return later while filming takes place for a few hours on:
Wednesday, June 30, Sunday, July 11, Thursday, July 15, Tuesday, July 20, Saturday, July 24, Thursday, July 29, Monday, August 2, Wednesday, August 11 and Saturday, August 21. On Wednesday, August 25, the whole Market Place is expected to close for a large community day when all residents and visitors will be invited to take part.
Although film crews hope to stick to this schedule, there may be some occasions where dates could change; one example could be poor weather.
So that filming can start early on the days listed above, and to help reduce disruption, motorists are also being requested not to use the parking spaces in the lower High Street overnight before each filming day. The spaces will also be closed off when the restricted access begins.
While most of the 10-week filming schedule takes place inside several shops in the Market Place, producers have warned that some outside filming will be necessary.
They hope to keep disruption to a minimum, and where necessary will pause filming for delivery vehicles to access businesses in the Market Place and lower High Street.
They are also advising those on foot that the Market Place may have restricted pedestrian access for short periods while filming is underway, but producers are encouraging the public to pop into Shepton town centre and see the series underway.
Dominique Swain, the district council’s economic regeneration officer, said: “We are working closely with the film makers and local businesses to ensure the filming does not disrupt them too much. We understand that any restricted access will have some effects, which is why we and the producers are being very flexible in our approach to filming.
“We have spoken to a number of local businesses and attempted to speak to others about how we can accommodate their needs during the filming, and we’re confident that the general view among the local community is positive.
“The filming of this series in Shepton Mallet is a great opportunity for the town, and we hope the exposure and interest it attracts will benefit the town.”
Local people are also still being invited to become stars of the small screen and become shoppers for the television series.
To get involved please contact Paul Windle at Wall to Wall on 01749 823008 or email: highstreetcustomers@walltowall.co.uk.
There is also a big community day planned on Sunday, July 4, when everyone is invited to take a look around a Victorian market.
Stalls will pack the Market Place between 9am and 2pm as TV producers film modern day shoppers exploring a traditional market from the late 1800s. Anyone turning up is asked to wear modern clothing rather than period costumes.
Produced by television company Wall to Wall, which makes the hugely popular Who Do You Think You Are? series and the drama series New Tricks, the programmes will delve into the history of shopping - looking at how our habits have changed through the decades since the late 1800s.
The BBC1 series is expected to be shown in the Autumn.
|