Dacorum Council is hopeful that the continued filming of Ricky Gervais’s comedy After Life and other TV shows will raise the “international profile of the area”.

Filming of the Netflix comedy is currently underway with filming crews spotted in Hemel Hempstead.

The series, which Ricky also writes, produces and directs, follows the life of Tony Johnson, who works as a journalist at the fictional Tambury Gazette newspaper.

His life is turned upside down after his wife Lisa, played by Kerry Godliman, dies from breast cancer.

An official plot synopsis has yet to be released for this series, but the show will be picking up after the events of series two, which saw Tony’s father die of dementia in his nursing home.

Watford Observer: Filming in the Old Town (Photo: Dacorum Borough Council)Filming in the Old Town (Photo: Dacorum Borough Council)

Meanwhile BBC’s show Ladhood has also started to film within the Dacorum area.

The council says that both shows that have “huge, yet very different” audiences, will help raise the national and international profile of the area.

A spokesperson for the council continued to say that filming in the area is convenient due to its close proximity to London, and production companies are “booking in larger numbers than ever before”.

Watford Observer: Filming in Gadebridge Park (Photo: Dacorum Borough Council)Filming in Gadebridge Park (Photo: Dacorum Borough Council)

Portfolio Holder for Planning and Infrastructure, Councillor Alan Anderson, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming some exciting productions over the coming weeks, months and years, and will seek to enable this wherever we can.

“We are hoping to encourage more filming projects to film in Dacorum to support the local economy, and are working with partner organisations to ensure that every opportunity is taken to create the best return for the borough."

Watford Observer: Filming outside St Mary's ChurchFilming outside St Mary's Church

Photos shared last week show Ricky walking through Hemel Hempstead.

One excited fan posted a socially distanced picture with the caption: "Great to see @rickygervais filming the third series of “After Life” in my hometown of Hemel Hempstead.

"It’s provided the town with a wonderful boost. Just to the left of Ricky (out of shot) is St Mary’s church where my wife and I got married."

Gervais first confirmed the next season on Twitter in May 2020, writing: "Because so many of you watched #AfterLife2 so quickly and made it Number 1 again, the nice people at @Netflix have suggested that I get off my fat arse and do another season.

"This is all your fault," mirroring the exact Tweet he posted to confirm After Life season 2.

Watford Observer: Ricky stars in, writes, produces and directs the show (Picture: Netflix/Kobal/REX)Ricky stars in, writes, produces and directs the show (Picture: Netflix/Kobal/REX)

On September 28th, the actor revealed that he had finished the second draft of a script for the upcoming series. 

The hit comedy first arrived in 2019 on the streaming platform.

People who watch the show may recognise from the first season the building which is portrayed as St Jude's Junior School.

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The Mill End Community Centre in Rickmansworth was used to film a scene, which involves Tony verbally abusing a child who called him a "paedo" as he walked past the school gates and spoke to his nephew who was in the playground.

Netflix unveiled new photos from the set earlier this month, confirming which cast members will definitely be back for the third season.

In a series of behind-the-scenes photos, Ricky Gervais (Tony) meets up with Penelope Wilton (Anne) on their bench in the graveyard, hangs out with Joe Wilkinson (Pat the postman) and David Earl (Brian), and reunites with Tony Way (Lenny) and Jo Hartley (June).