Filmed In Liverpool: How the city was a star of the screen in 2023

Liverpool has seen more films and TV shows choose the city as locations over the past year.

The film & TV industry across the UK is booming. 

And with Liverpool now the second most filmed city in the country, our buildings, streets and landmarks are popping up on the screen more than ever. 

Here are 8 shows aired this year where you can spot Merseyside locations, with two more coming in the New Year. 

The Full Monty mini series 

The Full Monty mini-series follows 25 years on from where the hit film finished. 

It stars many original cast members, including Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Lesley Sharp, and Liverpool’s Paul Barber. 

Although the series is set in Sheffield, Birkenhead’s Twelve Quays Ferry Terminal features heavily in episodes 3 and 4. 

The series aired on Disney Plus in June 2023 and is available for streaming with a subscription. 

Taylor Swift – ‘I Can See You’ music video

International superstar Taylor Swift took advantage of Liverpool’s beautiful buildings earlier this year to film the music video for ‘I Can See You’. 

Starring actress Joey King and Twilight actor Taylor Lautner, the video features a daring escape from a vault. 

The Cunard Building and the interior of the old Natwest building on Castle Street both feature prominently throughout. 

Eurovision 2023

Eurovision dominated our screens in May. 

The Song Contest saw thousands of broadcasters descend on the city to capture Liverpool’s magical celebration of music. 

The BBC’s coverage alone reached 162 million people, putting Liverpool firmly on the map as a stunning city to host international events. 

The Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, said: “We are all incredibly proud to deliver three amazing live shows for record-breaking audiences across the globe. This was a Eurovision Song Contest, and we couldn’t have been more proud to showcase Ukraine and Liverpool to the rest of the world.”

Look back at our Eurovision coverage here. 

Marvel’s Secret Invasion 

Oscar-winning movie stars Samuel L Jackson and Olivia Coleman were on Merseyside filming Marvel’s Secret Invasion at the beginning of 2023. 

The A-listers headed to the former Pilkington’s Glass Factory in St Helens to capture scenes for the show. 

Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke also filmed scenes in the city and, despite her busy schedule, found time to make friends with an Anthony Gormley statue on Crosby Beach. 

Marvel’s Secret Invasion aired in June 2023 and is available to stream on Disney Plus. 

Outlander 

November 2022 saw Canning Street in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter transformed into 1770s Philadelphia for the filming of Outlander. 

Based on an ongoing series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, the seventh series of the historical TV drama focuses on the story of a military nurse transported from 1945 to 1743. 

The show aired on Amazon Prime in June 2023 and is available for streaming. 

The Family Pile 

The Family Pile is a Liverpool-set comedy about four sisters tasked with selling the family home after the death of their parents. 

The six-part, 30-minute-long show was written by Liverpool-born Brian Dooley and filmed across the city region. 

Producers created a full-size family home set inside the now-empty Pensby High School for Boys in Wirral Peninsula. Other locations included exteriors in Crosby and Bebington.

Sadly, ITV axed the series after one season, but it’s still available to stream on ITV X.

The Tower 

The Tower is a British police series based on the Metropolitan trilogy book series by Kate London. 

Although the series is set in the capital, the filming mostly took place in Liverpool and Manchester. 

Look out for The Hilton Hotel, Beaconsfield in Prescot and a thrilling police chase scene on Vauxhall Road when watching. 

The series aired on ITV in August 2023, with all episodes available for streaming on ITVX.

Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story 

The infamous Insta interaction between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy was the social media saga that gripped the nation. 

Following a court case that became known as the Wagatha Christie trial, this Disney Plus documentary told the story in Colleen’s words. 

The courtroom scenes were filmed at County Sessions House on William Brown Street, part of the Walker Art Gallery.  

The doc aired in October 2023 and is available for streaming on Disney Plus. 

Sexy Beast 

The new TV series Sexy Beast was also filmed in Liverpool this year. 

The prequel series to the 2000 film of the same name explores the origins of Gal and Don’s complicated relationship as they’re seduced by the madness of London’s criminal underworld in the 90s. 

Check out the first-look images from Sexy Beast here. 

Paramount+ has confirmed the show will launch exclusively on the 25th January 2024 in the UK. 

The Responder 

Martin Freeman has been back in Liverpool this year, filming the second series of The Responder. 

The BBC crime drama stars Martin as troubled cop Chris Carson, who tries to take down a Merseyside drug ring. 

We expect the BAFTA-nominated series, created by Huyton’s Tony Schumacher, to return to our screens in 2024. However, no release date has been given. 

Filming took place on Strathcona Road in Wavertree. 

2024 will also see shows likes of comedy-drama G’wed hit our screens on ITVX and Secret Life of the Safari Park, which is a behind the scenes look at Knowsley Safari, launch on Channel 4 in January.

Get the latest for Liverpool HERE.