Target towns: Could Grimsby give Hollywood a run for its money? | Ents & Arts News

Compared to Hollywood, Grimsby may be more of a fish factory than a dream factory – but just like La La Land, the Lincolnshire port town is aiming for the stars with ambitious plans to become a favorite location for filmmakers.

“Build it and I hope they come,” is the belief of Emma Lingard, a resident who once worked in television but is now a director at Associated British Ports (ABP), which owns Grimsby Docks.

“Every producer or manager who has come to see us says that London is too expensive,” she says. “They discover that there are too many other productions jostling for the same space… so they look to the North.”

Aware of the potential, the ABP created the Kasbah Film Quarter, around some of its historic buildings. The plan is to expand by building a much sought-after resource in the UK: a soundstage, for soundproof recording of films and TV shows, as well as production centers.

It may seem like a stretch to compare Grimsby to the famous Hollywood film and musical Sunset Boulevard and its antagonist, fading silent film star Norma Desmond – but there are clear parallels as he tries to find his place in an industry that does not exist as it was.

Once the largest fishing port in the world (it's still big, it's the catches that have become small), signs of that faded glory remain, but it's actually a much sought-after asset in film and British television.

“There’s a big attraction to the old buildings that we have… their authenticity and their character,” says Lingard. Part of the appeal for filmmakers is how they can save on set construction costs, she says.

It's an area that's home to a multitude of empty historic buildings, including eight nationally listed buildings, grouped together and closed to the public. These recently doubled for wartime London in the Netflix drama Bodies, starring Stephen Graham.

“You can look at this building and think of the East End of London or maybe a back street in New York somewhere,” says Lingard. “You just have to have that vision.”

Grimsby also provided a filming location for the 2007 film Atonement, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.

And he already has the acting talent. Thomas Turgoose, who rose to fame in his early teens when he starred in Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed film This Is England, has remained resident despite his film career taking him all over the world.

“Filming in London is a nightmare,” he jokes. “If you inconvenience someone or delay their coffee time by five minutes, oh my God, it's like you've just ruined their Christmas… which you probably have. one of the reasons I never moved.”

Turgoose believes more productions would film in his hometown if everyone was more aware of what it has to offer.

“There's so much going on here… if you want to come to Grimsby and shoot period dramas it looks great, but you can also go to the beach in five minutes. I hope it opens people's eyes.

“It comes down to people being proud of Grimsby and having a vision and having faith in it… and I hope the film industry does that for that.”

Do Hollywood stars such as Timothée Chalamet Do you like swapping the capital for nearby seaside town Cleethorpes?

“I think he would really like it, actually,” Turgoose says. “I mean, he’d love fish and chips.”

But are locals quite ready for an invasion of carb-denying stars?

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Jade Shearer, manager of local chip shop Ernie Becketts, reckons she could convert a few.

“I certainly wouldn't say no to the service Brad Pitt“, she laughs. “We need more things to bring people back here and make it as busy as before.”

With Grimsby and Cleethorpes likely to be a battleground at the next general election, politicians will no doubt be promising all sorts of investment, including involvement in Grimsby's Hollywood end – but the creative minds here are currently working alone .

They say they've learned over the years that politicians' promises tend to end up in the editing room.

In polite terms, Lingard says: “If opportunities presented themselves to give us pockets of money to help restore heritage, then great…but sometimes actions take more than words.”

For now, she's focused on big-screen action, including finding ways to lure characters like 007 to the North.

“Actually, in 1981 a James Bond film was filmed in Grimsby,” laughs Lingard. “So why not?”

Get ready, Mr. DeMille – Grimsby is ready for his close-up.

Sky News' Target Towns series aims to follow the build-up to the general election in a key constituency popular with both the Conservatives and Labor: Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes. Send your stories to [email protected].