Written by new-contact on May 7, 2015. Posted in Production News

BBC films Cold War drama The Game on location in Birmingham and Midlands

The BBC filmed on location in Birmingham and other parts of the Midlands for its six-part Cold War drama The Game. Set in London in 1972, the miniseries tells the story of a Soviet plot uncovered when a KGB agent defects to the West.

During the eight-month shoot the former Birmingham Central Library building was used as the headquarters for MI5, the UK’s clandestine domestic intelligence agency. Filming also took place in the Birmingham suburbs of Moseley and Edgbaston, and in Colmore Business District.

Outside Birmingham, scenes were filmed at Merevale Hall and in Leamington Spa – both in Warwickshire – and at RAF Cosford in Shropshire.

Creative England worked closely with the production team, and with Film Birmingham, a division of Birmingham City Council.

Outside Birmingham, Creative England’s Senior Production Liaison Manager Stephen Badham helped the production team liaise with local authorities.

“I must say a very big thank you to Stephen and his team for all the help with filming in the West Midlands,” said Location Manager Spencer Normington: “The service was not only quick, professional and to the point, but also a great Location Manager support throughout the eight months of filming in the West Midlands.”

“It is great to work with Creative England to encourage films and TV shows to our area,” added Robin Tjolle, Chief Executive of Shakespeare’s England, the destination management organisation for Leamington Spa and Warwick district, in comments to Creative England.

“Film and TV shows are a great way of showcasing a location to a large audience and by working closely with Creative England we can encourage more location managers to feature our destination, which in turn encourages more visitors to come.”

More UK productions are filming in central and northern England now that a TV tax credit makes location shoots economically feasible. Features are also shooting in the Midlands, with modern-day British spy movie Spooks: The Greater Good (above) having filmed partly in Coventry last year.

The Game is screening in the UK on BBC Two on Thursday evenings.