See how many Bristol locations you can spot in new Channel 4 drama starting tonight

Adding to the long list of TV appearances our city has made this year, a new Channel 4 and All 4 drama starts tonight at 9 pm and features Bristol heavily within its different filming locations.

Riveting new drama The Undeclared War, starring Hannah Khalique-Brown, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings and Mark Rylance, was filmed in Bristol last year with assistance from the city’s Film Office.

The new series was created and directed by BAFTA award-winner Peter Kosminsky of Honour and Wolf Hall fame, and is a six-part cyber-thriller set in the year 2024.

The Undeclared War tracks a leading team of analysts buried in the heart of GCHQ, secretly working to ward off a series of cyber-attacks on the UK in the run-up to a general election.

When a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry, 21-year-old GCHQ intern Saara Parvin (played by Hannah Khalique-Brown) suddenly finds herself operating on the invisible frontier of high-stakes cyber warfare.

You might have noticed something filming within the city last year, as Bristol Film Office assisted production company Playground Television, Stonehenge Films with filming at several Bristol locations between May and August 2021.

Robert Jones, producer of The Undeclared War says: “The Bristol Film Office were incredibly supportive in helping us find and service a wide variety of locations in and around the area for The Undeclared War.”

So, what can we expect to see tonight and which parts should you be keeping your eyes peeled for? Perhaps the most obvious within the drama, Redcliffe Wharf in central Bristol was dressed as an anti-capitalist encampment for scenes featuring unrest and stunts.

But it wasn’t all about the obvious parts of the city or those just within the centre of Bristol. You’ll also see East Street in Bedminster being used for scenes featuring police and missiles being thrown by protesters.

On top of this, the Cash Hall in Bristol City Hall provided the setting for the offices of a Russian internet agency, and filming also took place on residential streets including Mayfield Park North in Fishponds and Gratitude Road in Greenbank.

It’s undeniably exciting having big names such as Simon Pegg filming in Bristol. Laura Aviles, Senior Film Manager at Bristol City Council says: “With the likes of Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester and Mark Rylance attached and award-winning director Peter Kosminsky at the helm, The Undeclared War was a very high-profile shoot which Bristol Film Office was closely involved with, supporting filming at times in the heart of Bristol.”

She goes on to say how much work is involved in pulling something like this off in the city. “Filming for encampment scenes at Redcliffe Wharf and protest scenes on East Street involved between 150 to 200 crew and cast members at their busiest points,” she says.

“We were pleased to liaise with all the necessary city departments, not only to help the production source the right locations but also to help ensure filming days were well organised and smoothly run.”

The Undeclared War is a Playground, Stonehenge Films and Universal International Studios co-production for Channel 4 and Peacock. It launches on Channel 4 and All 4 on Thursday 30th June at 9pm.