Major new TV drama The Winter King to be filmed in Bristol - with plans for a ‘fortified encampment’

A major new TV drama will be filmed in Bristol - as plans have been unveiled to build a temporary film set with a fortified encampment in a yard at a Patchway industrial estate.

Production company Bad Wolf wants to film parts of its adaptation of Bernard Cornwall’s The Winter King in Patchway, and has submitted proposals to South Gloucestershire Council to temporarily open the film set in a yard off Highwood Road in Patchway Trading Estate.

The Cardiff-based firm already has TV hits such as BBC’s His Dark Materials and Sky’s A Discovery of Witches under its belt and hopes to complete filming of the new 10-part series, inspired by the first book in Cornwall’s The Warlord Chronicles, by January 2023.

The series is based during Arthurian Britain and will be partially filmed on an exterior set at the unit, which was previously home to Gregory Distribution Ltd, on mock-up of a ‘mountainous ravine surrounding a fortified encampment’.

A temporary two-story office and welfare cabin will also be installed outside the unit, along with space for trucks and technical vehicles.

Supporting documents submitted with the planning applicaiton state that the production company does not expect activity at the site to affect the local community in ‘an adverse way’ as the filming operation would vary between 70 and 150 cast and crew across 70 days between July 2022 and January 2023.

The show follows the story of Arthur Pendragon who, according to legend, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the late 5th and 6th centuries.

The ‘rocky canyon’ structure would be made up of prefabricated polyurethane foam panels on scaffolding. There would also be various camera entrances in the set for filming.

The set would form the courtyard to Caer Cadarn - a fortress which plays a key part in in Cornwall’s The Winter King.

As well as the set, a marque would be put up to provide catering. Filming will take place between 7.30am and 7.30pm, with ‘only occasional’ night scenes.

The application seeks temporary planning permission for one year, with construction works likely to take place over 10-12 weeks. The site, unit 1 of the estate, is leased by studio production company Pirate Studios.

To view the planning application, visit https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/search-planning-applications and use reference number P22/02431/F