This episode explores how Oxford becomes a spectacular film set, featuring Harry Potter filming in October 2000, historic costume dramas, and striking archive footage of the city transformed for the screen.
In this engaging episode, we explore how Oxford is repeatedly transformed by the magic of film into a vast and vibrant movie set. Drawing on a rich mix of contemporary and archive footage, the programme shows Hollywood productions filming in the streets, colleges, and iconic buildings of Oxford and the University.
Oxford has long attracted filmmakers seeking distinctive and memorable locations. A major focus is the filming of Harry Potter in October 2000, with celebrated locations including Christ Church (used as Hogwarts’ dining hall), the Bodleian Library’s Divinity School (Hogwarts’ infirmary), and New College Quad.
The filming inside the Bodleian Divinity School took place continuously, 24 hours a day over a single weekend, and had to be completed by Monday morning to avoid disrupting the working week for students and staff. The scale of the production was striking: more than 70 vehicles connected to the film were crowded into the streets surrounding Broad Street and Radcliffe Square, demonstrating the logistical impact of a major Hollywood shoot in the heart of the city.
The episode also delves into the archives to uncover colourful footage of earlier large-scale costume dramas. In 1999, Oxford was transformed into revolutionary France for the film Quills, and in 2001 the streets became a backdrop to the English Civil War during the filming of the historical drama To Kill a King. Throughout, crowds of costumed actors, elaborate sets, and extensive film-company equipment bring both history and fantasy vividly to life.
