Tourism chiefs in Bath are hoping the city’s appearance in new movie Wonka will bring another Bridgerton-style boost to its leisure and hospitality sectors.
A number of scenes in the fantasy musical were shot in Bath, with the Abbey, Parade Gardens, pictured, and Walcot Steps among the locations providing backdrops in the critically acclaimed film.
Parts of the city also became a winter wonderland when shooting took place in 2021, including Bath Street, which was dressed in artificial snow.
Wonka, from the writing and directing team behind the successful Paddington films, tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character from Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Bath has long been a popular filming location, with its Georgian squares and crescents used for countless so-called bonnet-buster historical dramas dating back decades.
More recently it has starred in contemporary detective series McDonald & Dodds.
But it was the huge success of Netflix period drama Bridgerton that gave Bath its biggest boost – allowing the city to join a select roll call of places that has become known for ‘set-jetting’, or screen tourism.
More than 70 scenes were filmed in Bath in four blocks between August and November 2019 – with the economic impact of this seen in the large numbers of Bridgerton-related tours in the city since.
In 2021 iconic international magazine TIME named Bath among the 100 greatest places in the world, noting that fans of Bridgerton had been “pouring into the city to immerse themselves in the drama and scandal of the Regency-era romance with new guided tours”.
Bridgerton returns for a third series next May and, combined with the success of Wonka, Bath’s tourist industry is in line for another boost.
Kathryn Davis, CEO of destination marketing organisation Visit West, which runs Visit Bath, said: “Set-jetting has been identified globally as a trend and a motivator for inspiring visits that is only growing.
“We have seen the impact particularly of Bridgerton, but content created for our Visit Bath website focussing on film locations have a huge impact.”
Filming in the city is co-ordinated by Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Film Office, which promotes the district as a prime location and helps productions to access public areas with the minimum of disruption to residents and businesses.
Council cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development, Cllr Paul Roper, said Bath continued to be a magnet for period drama filmmakers, while Wonka showed the city could also provide spectacular backdrops to fantasy worlds as well.
“Film production not only generates direct economic advantages for the city but also serves as a catalyst for tourism growth,” he added.
“With such a star-studded cast and being one of the year’s most anticipated family films, we are confident that Wonka, showcasing Bath on the big screen, will be a catalyst to visit for many keen to tick off the location spots.
“We’ve already published our location blog with help from Bath Film Office, and now can’t wait to catch the film and develop new ideas to encourage visitors, particularly post-Christmas.”
Wonka stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role, along with newcomer Calah Lane and an ensemble cast including Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant.
