Eagle-eyed viewers will be able to spot several Bristol locations in the major new Disney+ drama Black Cake.
An adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s best-selling novel of the same name, Black Cake is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery.
The eight-episode series stars Mia Isaac, Adrienne Warren, Chipo Chung, Ashley Thomas, Lashay Anderson, Faith Alabi and Glynn Turman, as well as recurring guest stars Ahmed Eljah, Simon Wan, and Sonita Henry.
The story spans decades and continents, taking place in Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England, and Southern California. Much of the filming for the eight-episode series took place in Wales where the production was based, and its makers headed to nearby Bristol to source locations for two important settings.
Bristol Film Office worked closely with the production team and Council departments to close a section of Princes Wharf for five days in September 2022, in preparation for a night’s filming on the Harbourside outside MShed.
The Wharf was transformed into Jamaica’s Port Royal Harbour in the 1970s, with Bristol’s famous vintage ship MV Balmoral taking centre stage on the docks, playing the part of a Windrush vessel departing Jamaica to ferry passengers to England. Lighting equipment was lifted onto the MShed roof with the help of the Cranes team, to illuminate the set.
The production returned to Bristol to film further scenes in October 2022, when Frog Lane near Park Street was transformed into a bustling festive 1970s London market complete with stalls selling Christmas trees and mistletoe, a vintage red Routemaster bus destined for ‘Tower Hill’ and large numbers of supporting artists.
Bristol filming also took place at the University of Bristol’s Clifton Hill House, the former Lloyds Bank building and Clifton’s Wellington Terrace. Further afield in the West of England, filming also took place in Bridgwater, Somerset.
Other film settings that Princes Wharf and MV Balmoral have provided the backdrop for include Ireland’s Cobh Harbour in Stan & Ollie (2018), Weymouth Docks in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) and Jersey’s St Helier Harbour in Another Mother’s Son (2017).
Scroll through for more photos of Black Cake filming on location in Bristol.
1. Black Cake filming a London 70s market scene on Frog Lane, Bristol (photo: Bristol Film Office)
2. Black Cake filming a London 70s market scene on Frog Lane, Bristol (photo: Bristol Film Office)
3. Black Cake filming a London 70s market scene on Frog Lane, Bristol (photo: Bristol Film Office)
4. Black Cake filming Port Royal Harbour Jamaica on Princes Wharf Bristol (photo: Bristol Film Office)