Filmmakers paid more than £35,000 to film in Watford in 2025, a Freedom of Information request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service has revealed.
Watford Borough Council’s biggest filming payday for 2025 came in January, when BBC drama series Babies was filmed across streets including Alexandra Road, Stratford Road, St Albans Road, Bruce Grove, Salisbury Road and Leavesden Road.
The filmmakers paid £16,125 to the council for use of the roads, as well as King George V car park and Cassiobury Park car park, across various dates in January.
The six-part series, directed by Stefan Golaszewski and starring Paapa Essiedu and Siobhán Cullen, is expected to air later this year.
California Avenue, featuring Bill Nighy, Erin Doherty, Helena Bonham Carter, and Tom Burke, is another upcoming BBC series that filmed in Watford in 2025, with £3,150 paid to use Queens Road in October.
Other fees paid to the council included £8,600 for the second series of Sky’s Sweetpea, starring Ella Purnell and filmed at North Watford Cemetery in September and October, and £5,525 for the second series of ITV’s Red Eye, featuring Jing Lusi and Richard Armitage and filmed at Sussex Road in April and May.
Fees were also paid for filming ITV’s Trigger Point, Sloane Square Films’ Vox Populi, and the BBC’s series featuring Matt and Emma Willis talking about therapy.
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The figures for each film or TV series includes filming fees, location fees, parking fees and any other fees paid by the filmmakers to Watford Borough Council.
Watford's mayor Peter Taylor said the town is a “top destination” for film and TV.
He said: “Hosting major productions like Sweetpea Season 2, Red Eye Season 2 and Trigger Point not only puts Watford on the map as a prime destination for future film and TV shows but also brings economic benefits to our town.
“We’ve seen first hand the many benefits this industry has in our town, boosting local businesses and generating job opportunities.
“To help promote what the county and Watford has to offer, the Hertfordshire Film Office offers a seamless, one-stop support service for filming across Hertfordshire.”
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