One of the most ambitious TV dramas ever undertaken in the UK is to hit our screens tomorrow.
And key scenes in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which will premiere on BBC One on Sunday, May 17, at 9pm were filmed in Kirklees.
Many scenes were shot in Oakwell Hall, the historic house maintained by Kirklees Council. It features in the opening scene which shows one of the main characters trying to ‘magic’ a broken clay pipe back together, watched nervously through the door by his two servants.
In the second episode there are external and internal shots of the Hall as a run-down residence covered in vines, creepers and leaves and with a tree ‘growing’ through the window.
The Elizabethan manor house in the village of Birstall is set in period gardens surrounded by 110 acres of country park.
Oakwell Hall was immortalised in literature by Charlotte Brontë in her novel Shirley.
The epic seven-part drama spent four months filming in the region following investment from the Yorkshire Content Fund and is the largest scale production that Screen Yorkshire has ever invested in.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell was adapted for the screen by writer Peter Harness (Wallander, Is Anybody There?). Eddie Marsan (Best Of Men, Ray Donovan, Filth) and Olivier award-winning Bertie Carvel (Coalition, Restless, Hidden, Matilda) take on the magical roles of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Further casting includes Alice Englert (Ginger & Rosa, Beautiful Creatures), Marc Warren (Hustle, Mad Dogs), Samuel West (Mr Selfridge, Fleming), Charlotte Riley (Wuthering Heights, Easy Virtue), Enzo Cilenti (Prisoners Wives, Rome) and Paul Kaye (Game Of Thrones, Stella).
Based on the bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke, the story of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell opens in York at the beginning of the 19th-century, when the people of England no longer believe in magic. This all changes when the reclusive Mr Norrell causes the statues of York Minster to speak and move, starting a new enthusiasm for magic.
With a little persuasion and help from his man of business Childermass (Cilenti), he goes to London to help the government in the war against Napoleon. It is there Norrell summons a fairy to bring Lady Pole (Englert) back from the dead, opening a whole can of worms.
The crew spent four months filming in Yorkshire at locations including Oakwell Hall, York, Temple Newsam, Rotherham and Wakefield.
Nick Hirschkorn, producer at Feel Films says: ‘’The perfect combination of stunning locations, a healthy crew base, affordable rates and unwavering support from Screen Yorkshire made basing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in the region for 16 weeks of filming a very easy decision to make”
Hugo Heppell, Head of Investments, Screen Yorkshire adds: “Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is epic television in every sense. Rooted in Yorkshire, infused with a Yorkshire sensibility and shot extensively in the region, we couldn’t be more proud of this spectacular series and everybody involved in its production.”
The series was also filmed in Canada and Croatia.
To give viewers an insight into the filming of Jonathan Strange and other dramas the hall has featured in, special Oakwell on Film tours are currently being run. For further information and dates contact Oakwell Hall, Nutter Lane, Birstall, or phone 01924 326240.
