Take That movie to be filmed in Clitheroe

Clitheroe and the surrounding Ribble Valley countryside have been selected as the filming location for a new film based on the music of Take That.

Greatest Days is based on the stage musical The Band about a group of women who reunite after 25 years to see their favourite musical performers.

The film will be directed by multi-BAFTA-winning Coky Giedroyc (How to Build a Girl) and written by Tim Firth (The Band, Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots), who is no stranger to Clitheroe as he holidayed in the town as a child and has fond memories of the area.

Greatest Days will be shot at numerous locations across the town and the surrounding countryside, with a big song and dance number at Clitheroe Castle.

Stephen Atkinson, Ribble Valley Borough Council leader, said: "The last two years have been the most challenging the borough has ever faced and this film is just the tonic we need as we move into the post-pandemic period.

"Greatest Days will showcase the delights and beauty of our borough to a global audience and we are looking forward to giving the film’s cast and crew a warm Ribble Valley welcome."

Jonny Shelton, production liaison manager for national screen agency Filming in England, added: "The UK’s screen industries have bounced back faster than any other industry post-pandemic and we are seeing a truly unprecedented demand for content.

"This content boom is providing unsurpassed opportunity and the English regions are at the forefront of it. It is our aim as the national screen agency to maximise and support the production of feature film and high-end TV in the regions to ensure the economic benefits are felt across the UK.

"We are always on the lookout for unique locations and Clitheroe certainly fits the bill for this feelgood movie that will bring the town’s charm to a global audience. It has been a delight working with Ribble Valley Borough Council staff to support this prestigious project."

The film’s cast and precise filming dates are expected to be announced shortly.

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