News: HBO series filming at Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham

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A major new TV series starring Kate Winlset and Hugh Grant, is another big budget production to be filmed in Rotherham.

Developed by US TV giant, HBO, “The Regime” tells the story of one year within the walls of the palace of a modern European regime as it begins to unravel.

Joining the previously announced cast of Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Guillaume Gallienne, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton and Hugh Grant, the newly announced cast members include Danny Webb, David Bamber, Henry Goodman, Stanley Townsend, Louie Mynett, Rory Keenan, Karl Markovics, and Pippa Haywood.

The story is influenced by Ceausescu Palace, the opulent home of Romania’s former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and modern day Russia and its imprisoned opposition politicians. Winslet plays a leader compared to Ceausescu and Donald Trump.

The series, formerly known by its working title The Palace, is written by Will Tracy, who has worked for HBO before on hit shows such as Succession. Directors include the acclaimed Stephen Frears, who has worked accross film and TV on projects such as The Queen, Philomena and High Fidelity.

Frears was featured on BBC’s Imagine last month, interviewed on a pre-production reconnaissance of locations for The Regime.

The director of A Very English Scandal and Quiz confirmed that he’ll be working on the new series in Vienna and Rotherham.

“Vienna and Rotherham. That’s quite a mix,” says interviewer Alan Yentob with a smirk.

Frears replies: “But Rotherham has got the second biggest house in England after Buckingham Palace.”

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The house and grounds of Wentworth Woodhouse are ideal backdrops for period dramas with an abundance of striking architectural features and open spaces.

With over 300 rooms, and architecture from the 1720s to 1890s, the Grade I listed country house has played host to a wide variety of filming including Oscar winning feature film, Darkest Hour, and the big screen version of Downton Abbey, plus worldwide hit TV series including ITV’s Victoria, BBC’s Gentleman Jack, and Netflix’s The Crown.

The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust recently posted that access to the house would be restricted this month “due to an exciting project.” With the gardens staying open for the Easter holidays, the entire site is now closed until Saturday April 29.

Last year, Netflix used Wentworth Woodhouse in series five of The Crown which follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1991 to 1997. The Marble Saloon, described as one of the finest rooms in England, was used to recreate a state dinner for the Queen in Moscow.

A strange irony given that one of the room’s claims to fame is the perfomance by Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova for King George V & Queen Mary, on their 1912 Royal Visit.

Wentworth Woodhouse website

Images: HBO



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