How many TV shows starring Bristol can you name? As well as shows set in the city, Bristol has also doubled for Tudor London, 18th Century Cornwall, and many more. 

From sitcom classics such as Only Fools and Horses and The Young Ones, to modern cult hits such as Skins, there are surprising amount of shows which feature locations from across Bristol.

See the real star of the show with our list below, listing some great productions which were filmed in and feature the city. Which will you watch first? Let us know over on Instagram what you're watching and any other Bristol shows you'd recommend.

Wallace & Gromit

Aardman Animations, who make all of the Wallace and Gromit films, are based right here in Bristol! You can see their offices just a stone's throw from the harbourside, close to Brunel's SS Great Britain (you may even spot a clay model or statue of one of thei creations in the windows).

2025 is also a great time for Wallace and Gromit fans to visit the city, with the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail coming to the city from 30 June until the end of the summer holidays. Along the trail you'll see decorated statues of Wallace, Gromit, Feather’s McGraw and new for this year, Norbot the ‘smart gnome’.

Watch the latest film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on BBC iPlayer in the UK, or stream on Netflix globally.

Boarders

Clifton College is the main filming location for the school in this comedy-drama about a group of black teenagers who win scholarships to an elite boarding school. Series 2 is coming soon, and you can now watch series 1 on BBC iPlayer and to stream on Prime Video. See if you can spot other locations around the city, including Ashton Court, Stokes Croft and St Nicholas Market.

Rivals

This fun and flirty adaptation of Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel was filmed across Bristol and at the city's The Bottle Yard Studios, with a cast including Alex Hassell, David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer, Emily Atack, Nafessa Williams and Luke Pasqualino. The series was an immediate hit, and we loved seeing which of the Bristol filming locations we could spot in each scene, including Harbour Hotel, Aerospace Bristol and Cosy Club. Watch the series now on Disney Plus.

Wolf Hall

The eagerly anticipated follow up to Wolf Hall, The Mirror and the Light, was filmed at Bristol Cathedral, Berkeley Castle and Wells Cathedral in 2024 and follows Thomas Cromwell's continued rise to power in the court of Henry VIII.

The original series was filmed around the city in 2014, with Bristol Cathedral again acting a key filming location, notably doubling as Westminster Abbey for Anne Boleyn’s coronation scene, and the Chapter House used as the Duke of Norfolk's office. Watch all of the episodes from both series on BBC iPlayer.

The Outlaws

There are Bristol locations galore in this series, set and filmed in Bristol, and created by native Bristolian Stephen Merchant. The popular show ran for three series and follows the misadventures of seven strangers forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence. Some key filming locations include Sea Mills Community Centre, St Werburgh’s City Farm, and Broadmead. Watch all three series on  BBC iPlayer, and check out our guide to an Outlaws-themed break in Bristol.

Ruby Speaking

Bristol's very own Jayde Adams stars in this comedy about working in a call centre. The show is set in Bristol and features shots of the colourful neighbourhood of Totterdown. Watch the six-part series on ITVX or Amazon Prime Video.

Doctor Who

Bristol features in some key scenes in the 60th anniversary episodes, notably a scene of devastation on Clare Street with David Tennant's Doctor and Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker in 'The Giggle' (2023) - Chez Marcel also doubled as the Toymaker's shop in the same episode. Bristol has featured in numerous other episodes of the hit series over the years, from an iconic shot of the Daleks on Clifton Suspension Bridge in 'Revolution of the Daleks' (2021), to scenes filmed in Wookey Hole Caves in the 1970s. You can watch the more recent epsiodes of Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer and Disney Plus, with episodes also available on Amazon Prime Video.

Alex Rider 

This spy-thriller series was filmed in Bristol for series two and three and follows Alex, a London-based teenager who has unknowingly been trained since childhood for the dangerous world of espionage. A key location for the series, sets for the MI6 division known as ‘The Department’, were built inside A Bond Warehouse in the Cumberland Basin, with other filming taking place on location across the city. Watch the series on Amazon Prime Video.

Sanditon 

All three series of this hit period drama, adapted from Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel, featured scenes filmed in Bristol. Several episodes were filmed at two of Bristol's most historic attractions, John Welsey's New Room and The Georgian House. You can watch al three series on ITVX or Amazon Prime Video.

The Trial of Christine Keeler

Areas of Bristol were recreated to look like 1960s London in this six-part drama about the ‘Profumo Affair’, filmed throughout 2018 and 2019. Bristol Central Library was used as the location for Marylebone Police Station, while Wills Memorial Building doubled as the House of Commons, and offices above St Nicholas’ Market became the War Office and MI5. You can currently watch the show on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

Kiri 

Set mostly around the Horfield and Bishopston areas of Bristol, Channel 4 drama Kiri was filmed across the city in the summer of 2017. Starring award-winning actor Sarah Lancashire, this hard-hitting series follows the fallout after the abduction of a young black girl, who is about to be adopted by her white foster family. See if you can spot Gloucester Road when Sarah Lancashire's character is driving in the first episode, or the Cumberland Basin in the harbourside when she's walking her dog. You can watch Kiri on Channel 4's streaming service, as well as YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.

The Pale Horse

This two-part adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name stars Rufus Sewell and is set in 1960s London. The story follows follows antiques dealer Mark Easterbrook as he tries to uncover the mystery of a list of names found in the shoe of a dead woman. The series was filmed both in the city's Bottle Yard Studios and on location across Bristol, such as Ashton Court Estate, Clifton Village, Arnos Vale Cemetery and the Corn Exchange offices above St Nicholas Market.

Poldark 

All five series of the popular period drama, set mostly in 18th Century Cornwall, were filmed partially in Bristol, particularly series 5. John Wesley's New Room was transformed into 'Bodmin Assizes Court' for the trial of Ross Poldark in series 2, Ashton Court is the country estate in series 5, Bristol Old Vic was the theatre Ross and his friends visit in series 5, and Redcliffe Caves were used for interior shots of the tin mines throughout the series. You can watch Poldark on a number of streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Skins

This cult classic was set in Bristol and filmed at locations across the city from 2007 - 2013. Areas such as College Green, Park Street, 'Cassie's Bench' on Brandon Hill and the Harbourside are iconic to Skins fans, and draw many visitors (and students!) to the city every year. Take a look at our video of Bristol filming locations for Skins here. You can watch Skins on Channel 4, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi and ITVX.

Sherlock

Bristol was used as a filming location for selected episodes of Sherlock, including Bristol South Swimming Pool in the showdown scene of 'The Great Game' in series 1 and Goldney Hall in the wedding scene of 'The Sign of Three' in series 3.

A lot of filming for special one-off episode 'The Abominable Bride' was done across the city, including on King Street, Ashton Court Estate, Queen Square, Tyntesfield, Arnos Vale Cemetery and in the cellars of Bristol Beacon. Watch Sherlock on BBC iPlayer, NOW TV, AppleTV, ITVX and Amazon Prime Video.

Teachers

This popular comedy drama, starring Andrew Lincoln, Raquel Cassidy, Nina Sosanya and Navin Chowdhry, followed the lives of teaching staff at a state school in Bristol. The first three series were filmed at the former Merrywood School in Knowle and the fourth was filmed at the former Lockleaze School. Watch the series on Channel 4 or Amazon Prime Video.

Only Fools and Horses

One of the most iconic TV shows to have been filmed in Bristol, this classic British sitcom follows the adventures of brothers Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, with Bristol standing in for London for much of the filming from the 1980s up until it ended in 2003.

Many Bristolians are familiar with the most well-known filming locations in the city, including Whitemead House in Ashton as Nelson Mandela House and Noah's in Cumberland Basin as Sid's Cafe. The Granary Club also proudly states that it was the location of the famous Del Boy falling through the bar scene! Watch Only Fools and Horses on ITVX, NOW TV, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

The Young Ones

Still one of the most popular British sitcoms decades after it first aired, this surreal and hilarious series follows the chaotic adventures of four student housemates in the 1980s and stars Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmonson, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Alexei Sayle and Ben Elton. The exterior shots for the house they all shared can still be seen on the corner of Codrington Road in Bishopston, and many other scenes were filmed along Gloucester Road. Watch the episodes on BBC iPlayer, Now TV, Apple TV, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.

 

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