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City locations bring new Sherlock series to life

Joe SkirkowskiBristol
SMITH Young Sherlock stands with another man in an orange suit in a street made to look like a Victorian era London street. He wears a checked suit and a bowler hatSMITH
Young Sherlock uses locations in both Bristol and Somerset

Numerous famous locations in a city have been used as the setting for a new re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes.

Young Sherlock premiered on Tuesday and although the show is largely set in Oxford and London, people in Bristol may recognise some of the locations used in the Victorian-era mystery thriller.

Broad Street and Underfall Yard are just some of the places used to bring the story to life in the latest production to use the city as a backdrop.

"Filming in Bristol is always good fun, the city's got great architecture both period and contemporary, which makes options quite exciting," said Deon Du Preez, supervising location manager on Young Sherlock.

Man stood on Bristol Harbour with the water and colourful houses in the background. he wears a coat and a fleece
Deon Du Preez says Bristol is a pleasure to film in

"The willingness from the city itself, from residents, businesses, the film office assistants and the local authority make it a quite a pleasure to work in the city," he added.

Location managers often have to find settings to match scenes that have already been written but Du Preez said that writers changed some of Young Sherlock's scripts to fit the locations and make the most use of what they had to offer.

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Somerset Council The exterior of the former prison in Shepton MalletSomerset Council
Shepton Mallet prison was also used as a location

The blacksmiths workshop at Underfall Yard in Bristol's harbour side, was used for a fast paced action scene.

A large part of the yard burned down following an arson attack in 2023 and the site's management said filming can add much needed revenue that can go towards its restoration.

"Of course with the shed not being used we are missing rental income so it's a difficult time to find more money - so things like filming really helps," said Underfall Yard Site Manager Win Cnoops.

The show is also filmed at nearby locations in South Wales and Shepton Mallett in Somerset, where the town's historic prison doubling up as a Victorian London jail.

The production was so successful in restoring parts of the 17th century building into its 19th century likenessthe prison's attraction director, Charlie Lawson, said that they "persuaded the crew to leave some of the transformed areas in place."

"Being able to blend history with storytelling in such a tangible way was both tremendous fun and deeply rewarding," he added.

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