Starring role means £4m for Somerset economy

Source: Somerset Council

Film and television productions spent more than £4m in Somerset in the last year, according to the latest Screen Somerset estimates.

The figures come as the county gears up for the release of The Salt Path, the screen adaptation of Raynor Winn’s best-selling book which will be in cinemas across the UK from Friday, 30 May.

The Salt Path is one of many feature films and high-end TV shows that were shot in Somerset recently, in locations including Cheddar, Axbridge, Shepton Mallet, Brean, Minehead, Norton St Philip, Wookey and Bishops Lydeard.

Along with many smaller TV shows and documentaries, in the 2024/25 financial year, filming brought an estimated £4.2m of spend to the county, much of which will have been in the hotel and hospitality sector.

Supported by funding from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), Screen Somerset is Somerset Council’s film office. It helps, encourages and celebrates filming in the county in recognition of the benefits filming can bring.

As well as the money spent in the local economy while productions are in the county, appearing on screen can be a major boost for local tourism, as is expected to be the case with The Salt Path.

Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Economic Development Planning and Assets said:

It’s fantastic to see so many productions coming our way. This is driven by our stunning and varied locations, but also the Council’s work to make Somerset film-friendly and proactively promote it as a place to come and shoot.

I’ve seen first-hand in my own division the spend that film production brings and The Salt Path is a perfect example of the potential longer-term benefits of screen tourism.

There’s a lot of scope to use filming to attract more visitors and generate other positive spin-offs for local skills and employment. It really is all for the greater good.

Screen Somerset assists filmmakers in finding their perfect location and helps shoots run smoothly, so they are keen to come back. It provides a single point of contact, local knowledge, and works with the Council’s highways, parking and property services.

The project also proactively promotes the county to regional, national and international location managers, working closely with Creative England’s Filming in England Partnership which is responsible for promoting filming outside London.

Screen Somerset supported The Salt Path filming when it shot along the Exmoor coast in the spring of 2023. Minehead, Culvercliffe Walk, North Hill, Bossington Hill and Porlock Weir all get considerable screen time.

In 2024/25, the estimated High End TV and feature film spend across all English regions outside London was more than £200m, with the South West region benefiting to the tune of nearly £40m.

Screen Somerset is working with Visit Somerset and Visit Exmoor to capitalise on Screen Tourism opportunities.

Charlotte Wood, Production Liaison Manager for the South West region at Creative England’s Filming in England, said:

It’s fantastic to accommodate so many high-profile TV Dramas and Feature productions in the South West region.

The release of ‘The Salt Path’ is a testament to the fantastic array of locations available in the region and in Somerset. The service provided by Screen Somerset has enhanced the positive impact filming can bring to the local economy.

John Turner, CEO of Visit Somerset, said:

This is an incredibly exciting moment for the Somerset region as the global film industry begins to fully recognise our extraordinary landscapes and heritage-rich locations. From the timeless beauty of the City of Wells and the medieval charm of Dunster, to our five designated National Landscapes and more than 60 miles of breathtaking coastline, Somerset offers a cinematic canvas like no other.

We are also privileged to be home to some of the country’s most iconic historic houses, expertly cared for by the National Trust, as well as dramatic gorges and tranquil lakes that lend themselves perfectly to a wide range of film genres.

I am immensely proud of the work being done by Screen Somerset and our ongoing collaboration with Somerset Council.

Together, we are positioning film tourism as a powerful economic catalyst for the region. Over the coming year, we look forward to continuing this momentum and unlocking new opportunities for Somerset through the dynamic growth of the film and screen sector.