The Gentlemen 'could bring tourism boost to West'

Some of the West's most prominent locations have been used as the backdrop for Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen.

Some of the scenes for the Netflix show were filmed in parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, including Badminton House and Salisbury Cathedral.

It is not the first time that the region has been used as a setting for big budget productions and it is hoped that the exposure could lead to something of a tourism boom in the area.

"[Shows like The Gentlemen are] a really good way to introduce people to places they might not have known about," said Lucy Dodsworth, a travel writer and founder of the Explore the Cotswolds website.

"Obviously, Salisbury Cathedral is very famous, but villages like Castle Combe or Tetbury from Rivals gets people to see them on screen and want to come and see them in real life," she said.

Dodsworth said the beauty of the Cotswolds makes a great backdrop as the area looks like "how you would imagine England to".

"You can use it for lots of different time periods because a lot of things haven't changed for a long period, and there's so many beautiful stately homes to choose from," she added.

Gloucestershire's Badminton House plays a prominent role in the gangster-comedy blockbuster as the ancestral home of main protagonist, Eddie Horniman.

Other big money productions recently filmed in the area include Star Wars and Bridgerton.

Filming can also provide an additional source of revenue for sites, helping to fund their ongoing upkeep and maintenance.

"It costs us nearly £20,000 a day to open the doors and keep it looking tip-top," said Tim Croall, from Salisbury Cathedral, which was used as the setting for a grand coronation scene.

"That's a lot of money, so we rely on the generosity of visitors, donors and income streams such as location filming."

The filming also brings some well known faces to the local area, giving locals a chance to rub shoulders with the stars.

"Guy Ritchie was very interested in the cathedral," said Croall, "I think it might have been his idea to base it here."

"He was very interested in parts of the cathedral, the oldest parts, some of our oldest windows, looking at Magna Carta itself."

Croall also met actor Theo James, who plays the protagonist, Eddie Horniman.

"He was great, very nice, very unassuming, kept himself to himself when he wasn't being asked to film and then did his filming, a professional actor," he said.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.