On set in 'Hullywood' with the film-maker behind I Swear

In the cobbled streets of Hull's Old Town, extras in extravagant outfits march by and painted wooden shop signs advertise peculiar services such as "high class artificial teeth" and "Clarke's world-famed blood mixture". To locals, it signals that "Hullywood" is back.

"We've tried to pick up on some really quite gruesome things," says Peter Francis, the production designer on a new film shot in the city last week.

"We've put in a little bit of humour as well, the teeth and the dentists, it's everyone's biggest fear, isn't it?" he adds with a chuckle.

The result was a High Street transformed so effectively that even those who walk down it every day might have felt like they had stepped into a time machine.

In recent years, Hull has become a magnet for film-makers drawn to its Georgian and Victorian architecture.

Details about the latest movie are being kept under wraps, though it is set in the London of the late 19th Century.

The man behind the film, Piers Tempest, previously produced the award-winning drama I Swear, which starred Hull actor Robert Aramayo.

"I did actually see him wearing a 'Hullywood' sweatshirt. So I'm very glad to be back supporting the Hollywood of the North. I love it here," Tempest says.

"We're filming the late 1800s here in the East End of London," he adds. "This street is fantastic for it.

"The East End of London doesn't look like this [now]. But it did in 1888, so it's absolutely fantastic to be here."

During filming, weathered paper posters advertising undertakers and embalmers were plastered on the brick walls of old warehouses and other historic buildings.

Elsewhere, more than a dozen painted model teeth dangled and swayed in the breeze.

In the daylight it was a strange site, but at night-time it appeared as if it is designed to look spooky.

"The main reason we're here this week is because of the architecture. With the minimum amount of set dressing it just looks completely authentic," says Piers.

On the first night of filming, there were 150 extras.

"It was chaos, horses, carriages, and also the weather was sporadic," he explains.

"It was torrential rain one minute and then sun, so we finished at about 04:00 GMT, but we got what we needed. We're all very proud."

Productions such as Enola Holmes 2 have previously made use of the Victorian architecture, while The Crown and Blitz choose Hull to stand in for central London during World War Two.

In 2025, a Bollywood crime drama, called Dastaar, used Old Town streets to recreate the Britain of the 1980s.

Part of the attraction of the area is that it is largely unspoilt. In Scale Lane, around the corner from High Street, one timber-framed building dates back to about 1450.

"We looked all around England and this just worked really well for what we needed," Piers says.

"It's quite self-contained as an area. Not much traffic and the residents are broadly supportive, even though we are causing a bit of chaos and we're very grateful to them."

Most of the movie is being filmed indoors, so the scenes shot in Hull will be "striking" and "a fantastic sequence", he adds.

Filming that sequence took a great deal of planning.

Alex Tridmas, a location manager, has been focusing on Hull "for months". It is his second time filming in the city, following a 2018 shoot for an episode of the TV drama Victoria.

"It takes a long time," he explains of the work that goes into persuading local residents to play ball.

"It's easier when you're dealing with a stately home, it comes with its own problems, but you're only dealing with one or two people. When you're on a street, there's obviously a lot of people.

"We're filming overnight and there's people who live here, so a lot goes into knocking on doors and getting in touch with people and trying to make sure that everyone's not going to hate us after we leave or while we're here."

Matt Lydon, 43, works at SAFF Education, which is based in an office on High Street.

It is not the first time he has experienced being immersed in a film set.

"It's quite cool to see. When they where filming Enola Holmes 2 they hired part of our building downstairs. Our kitchen area was changed into a Hollywood dressing room.

"We got a glimpse of a few stars, surrounded by their entourages, but the novelty of it is great.

"Knowing Millie Bobbie Brown was in our kitchen was cool at first, but annoying when you wanted to get to your sandwiches.

"It's just great seeing how they completely transform the Old Town."

For now, Tempest is unwilling to reveal full details about the production and the actors who will feature in it.

"It's top secret at the moment," he says.

"I can't tell you what it is just yet, but we're going to announce it at the end of June.

"It's sad, I can't give too much away, but there's a lot of action that takes place on this set in Hull and we're matching it with other locations that were shooting around Yorkshire.

"So, when you see the movie, probably in autumn next year, then it will all make sense."

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