London’s landmarks star in top locations list

London’s best loved buildings and parks are the stars of Film London’s Top 20 Film Locations which was announced today.

Film London’s Top 20 Film Locations will be instantly recognisable as the backdrop to hundreds of feature films, TV dramas and advertisements including 28 Days Later and Spooks. London’s best-kept secret locations are also to be found on the list including The BA London Eye (Wimbledon released 24 September), Tate Modern (Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, The Constant Gardener) and The London Aquarium (Closer released 7 January2005).

Topping Film London’s location list was Hyde Park a location for A Different Loyalty (starring Sharon Stone and Rupert Everett), in second place was Parliament Square in the City of Westminster which has been a key location in the last year for both Love Actually and Thunderbirds (released 23 July) and third was Battersea Park a host to TV hits including Silent Witness.

London’s diverse cityscape attracts film-makers from all over the world.  10,000 shooting days took place in the capital last year; on average that is a staggering 27 crews filming on the streets of the city each day.

The list has been compiled and ranked using Film London’s unique locations and filming database and has been collated using a survey of London’s Boroughs and key London landmarks (based on feature film and TV production and adverts and pop promos- from May 2003 to the present).

Film London’s Top 20 London Film and TV locations:

1. Hyde Park
A Different Loyalty, Nickelodeon

2. Parliament Square
Thunderbirds, Love Actually

3. Battersea Park
Silent Witness, Wife Swap

4. BA London Eye
Wimbledon, Rimmel TV Commercial

5 Tate Modern
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, The Constant Gardener

6. Wimbledon Common
William and Mary

7.  London Aquarium
Closer, Polo car commercial
 
8. Millennium Bridge
Faking It, Family Business

9. Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets)
The Grid, The Lenny Henry Show

10. London Zoo
Wimbledon, The Vice

11. Somerset House
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, Spooks

12. Bethnal Green Town Hall
Foyle’s War, Poirot

13. Cutty Sark and Gardens
A Question of Sport, Dr Martens Commercial

14. Greenwich Foot Tunnel
London (Peter Ackroyd), Prudential TV Commercial

15. Tower Bridge
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

16. Crystal Palace
Gardeners’ World, Silent Witness

17. Greenwich Naval College
The Bill, Barclays TV commercial

18. Hammersmith Town Hall
The Football Factory, Trial & Retribution

19. Freemasons Hall
Spooks, Hustle

Joint 20th position:
20. Hoxton Square
Top Gear, Smirnoff Ice commercial

20. Hackney Marshes
Dead Fish, Murphy’s Law

The London Underground network is one of the capital’s busiest film and TV locations and has been the star of films including Love Actually, Sliding Doors and Billy Elliott. As a collection of locations the network was unfortunately ineligible for this list.