Mystery surrounds the filming of a major new BBC drama in Wigan
The filming of a major new BBC drama in Wigan has set tongues wagging but is cloaked in mystery so far.
Westwood Park car park off the A49 link road has become base camp for cast and crew of the programme during location shooting, but what that show is and who is appearing in it remains an enigma.
The council, which has given permission for the car park use and filming, is remaining tight-lipped, the BBC has confirmed it is in the area but only promising answers nearer the broadcast date, and people on site have all signed non-disclosure orders.
The land has been largely unused for a number of years except for when it was home to a Covid testing centre during the pandemic.
In recent months, travellers illegally set up camp tehre until a large earthwork was created by the council to block further entry.
That has now been moved aside and the car park is packed with large vehicles, trailers, cars and mobile catering facilities.
Wigan has provided the locations for many a small and large screen production over the years, from gritty dramas to light-hearted comedies.
Earlier this year, the rear of the Thomas Linacre Centre on Parson’s Walk and around the high-rise flats in Scholes was used for hit BBC comedy Black Ops, which is set to air in January, while popular crime drama Peaky Blinders once used parts of Eckersley’s Mills for its backdrop.
Haigh Hall has also been a popular haunt for film and TV including Foyle’s War and the 1988 Ben Kingsley movie Testimony
The plantations were most recently used for Sky film Robin and the Hoods as well as for a number of TV series including, Ridley, Brassic and ITV comedy horror six-part series Passenger.
Before its recent transformation the old Civic Centre on Millgate was transformed into a police station for the Morecambe-based ITV drama The Bay, while parts of the Grand Arcade as well as Three Sisters Race Circuit were used to film Top Gear with Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness
Library Street was also prominently featured in an advert for insurance company Aviva.
Parts of the borough were also used for Little Boy Blue, the heartbreaking dramatisation of the murder of Liverpool 11-year-old Rhys Jones featuring Stephen Graham.