A former RAF airfield and filming hub is continuing to expand as it reveals how it became the site of an air force drama.

Bovingdon Airfield has been a popular location for filming since the 1960s, with The War Lover (starring Steve McQueen), 633 Squadron, and Mosquito Squadron using its runways. It particularly ramped up since 2017 after the construction of ITV Studios Bovingdon at the complex.

Most recently it served as a location for the newly released Apple TV+ drama Masters of the Air and for the upcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine as well as several projects which cannot be revealed yet.

Watford Observer: Sound stage rigging at Bovingdon Airfield.Sound stage rigging at Bovingdon Airfield. (Image: Bovingdon Airfield)

The 100-acre site was occupied by RAF Bomber Command during the war and then handed over to the US Army Air Force, when it became known as US Air Station 112 and used for combat missions.

Masters of the Air is described by its executive producer Gary Goetzman as “a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II”.

Watford Observer: 1917 filming at Bovingdon Airfield.1917 filming at Bovingdon Airfield. (Image: Bovingdon Airfield)

It follows the 100th Bomb Group, based out of another RAF base in Thorpe Abbots, East Anglia.

Many productions apparently choose the independent and family-run Bovingdon Airfield due to the privacy it offers as well as its huge location and so its owners cannot be sure exactly which scenes from the Austin Butler and Callum Turner starring show, were filmed in Bovingdon.

Watford Observer: Austin Butler (left) and Callum Turner (right) in Masters of the Air.Austin Butler (left) and Callum Turner (right) in Masters of the Air. (Image: Apple TV+)

A crash-landing scene and the set of a bombed-out German town are believed to have been filmed there, however, based on how they looked in the show and the destroyed-town set which was built in the backlot (formerly Bovingdon Market).

Managing director Harvey Mash said: “The number and calibre of productions that have filmed with us is impressive - ranging from the world's biggest film franchises Bond, Star Wars, and Harry Potter to war classics such as 1917, and much-loved yearly live audience TV shows like Dancing on Ice.

Watford Observer: Harvey Mash, fourth generation member of the family which owns the airfield and surrounding farmland.Harvey Mash, fourth generation member of the family which owns the airfield and surrounding farmland. (Image: Bovingdon Airfield)

“Our plans for future development are ambitious - we've nearly completed phase one and are looking forward to kicking off phase two soon and continuing to further improve the site in terms of infrastructure on offer.”

Bovingdon Airfield is set to outline its master plan for future expansion later this month.