Lancashire Set-Jetting Film Itinerary: Blackpool, Preston and the surrounding areas

Whether it is feature films, comedy shows, sci-fi or drama, Lancashire's wonderfully varied coastline, cities, towns and countryside, make it a wonderful place to capture people's imaginations. Take a three-day road trip to explore the areas of Blackpool, Preston and beyond and visit some of the many locations you may have seen on your screen.  

Day one: Blackpool  

Blackpool Tower dominates the resort's skyline and is the ideal attraction to show off on screen, which is why it’s the first stop on our road trip. The iconic building has appeared on a number of films and TV shows.  

First of all, head to the Blackpool Tower Circus, though hopefully you won't be joined by invisible creatures trying to remove your eyes like the characters in the Tim Burton film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children were! The movie, filmed in 2015 saw actors such as Eva Green, Emma Purnell and Samuel L Jackson walk the boardwalk of North Pier and included shots of Central Pier and the Promenade too. North Pier, the closest pier to the Tower, was also one of the main backdrops for the character of the Young John Lennon in the BAFTA nominated Nowhere Boy in 2009. 

Next up, take a twirl on the dancefloor in the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom, where Burton also directed The Killer's music video of Here with Me. The Tower and Ballroom also features in the 2021 Amazon Prime movie Cinderella featuring James Corden and Camila Cabello and the 2017 comedy drama Murder on the Blackpool Express starring Johnny Vegas, Nigel Havers and Susie Blake. It is also a celebrated milestone for dancers on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing every year.  

After touring the Ballroom take a walk along the promenade, home to the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations in the cooler months, which was the main setting for the 2004 BBC Drama titled Blackpool, featuring stars like David Morrissey, David Tennant, Sarah Parish and David Bradley. This story of a man who opens his own arcade on the resorts seafront only to find himself in the midst of a murder investigation was nominated for a number of awards, including the Golden Globes and a BAFTA.  

Finally, make your way to Pleasure Beach Resort where you'll find the crypt Winona Ryder leaves during The Killers’ track video too. Pleasure Beach Resort is no stranger to the screen either, with its Big Dipper and other attractions being shown in the hit show Max & Paddy’s Road to Nowhere in 2004. The resort has also had its spotlight in the Harry Hill Movie and TV Drama's Waterloo Road and well-loved North West soap opera Coronation Street. The Steve Coogan movie the Parole Officer also featured The Big One, as well as Blackpool Tower in various shots. 

Once you’ve experienced the Big One for yourself, head to the resorts Big Blue Hotel for the night to rest your head before a second day of exploring.  

Day two: Blackpool's surrounding areas 

Start day two by exploring some other areas of Blackpool.  

This favourite seaside resort was also used as a stand in for Atlantic City in the Netflix series Stay Close, and as the main location for the 2016 film Away starring Juno Temple and Timothy Spall, nominated for an award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Spot the landscapes of the movie as you explore the area. 

Start at south shore near Sandcastle Waterpark and the largest mirror ball in the world, then travel up the prom on the seafront trams like the characters did, stopping at SEA LIFE Blackpool for a visit. 

After the aquarium, a short drive or train ride away is St Annes. Here you will find St Anne’s Pier which was used in the 2019 movie Eaten By Lion, as the entry to the fictional Sea Planet Aquarium. The War Memorial in Ashton Gardens, features in the indie movie Lottery from 2022, which was shot predominantly in Lytham, St Annes, Blackpool and nearby Garstang.  

Pop to nearby Lytham and visit Lytham Hall which was used in scenes in BBCs Casanova in 2005 featuring David Tennant. 

Once you’ve seen the sights of the beautiful Lytham and St Annes, you can head north, up to the Fylde Coast for one of Lancashire’s biggest filming spots in Cleveleys.  

Near the FBKafe right on the resort’s seafront, you will find an exact duplicate for the beach resort of Niamos featured in Disney's Andor, including where Cassian Andor is pinned to a sea wall by a droid, and that's because it was filmed right there. The Disney+ show took over the town back in 2022 for the filming of the scenes, which includes the sea front, café and Mary's Shell from the Mythic Coast trail. 

Head back to Blackpool for your second night which can be spent at the Cliffs Hotel where Temple and Spall spent their time in Always, too.  

Day Three: Preston, Chorley and Rivington  

Your third day will take you further inland, with your first stop being the city of Preston. Wallace and Gromit fans can pop into Preston Markets to take a selfie with the statue which pays homage to Nick Parks childhood in the city.  

While in Preston you’ll find Miller Arcade and Preston Bus station, both of which have appeared on the 1962 British New Wave Film A Kind of Loving, and the latter hitting the screens during IP Man 4 in 2019.  

Hoghton Tower near Preston is your next road trip location, and it’s an impressive one for film and TV lovers. The historic hall was another used for the 2005 BBC series Casanova, but it also featured as an orphanage in Peaky Blinders, as army barracks in the 2007 Cold Blood, as a prison in Life on Mars and in the Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders in 1965.  

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders also filmed at nearby Astley Hall in Chorley, which you can call by and enjoy the beautiful Astley Park’s play areas and woodland walks, before heading to Rivington; which was used as the backdrop to the 2014 Sigourney Weaver and Liam Neeson hit A Monster Calls, take it all in while enjoying a walk up to Rivington Pike.