Bristol’s role as a leading location for film and TV shows has again been praised by the makers of two very different new productions.
Jatt & Juliet 3, the latest movie in Punjabi cinema’s biggest franchise, will premiere next week after filming extensively across Bristol last year, while Malory Towers, the much-loved adaptation of Enid Blyton’s boarding school classic, is now back on the small screen for a fifth series after also being made in the city in 2023.
Both productions were assisted by Bristol Film Office, which since 2003, has been working behind the scenes to make Bristol one of the UK’s most film-friendly cities.
In that time it has attracted productions as varied as Doctor Who (BBC), The Outlaws (BBC/Amazon) and The Last Bus (Netflix).
Jatt & Juliet 3, which stars Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa – one of the best loved on-screen Punjabi couples - filmed in Bristol for a month with an 80-strong crew.
Producer Manmord Singh Sidhu described filming in the city as a fantastic experience. 
“The city is incredibly film-friendly, with ideal locations that added a larger-than-life landscape to our film,” he said.
“Shooting at the Bristol Marina, Cascade Steps and Bristol City Hall among other locations in the city brought a unique grandeur to our scenes.
“The people of Bristol were exceptionally cooperative, which was crucial for us – especially while filming with a global superstar like Diljit Dosanjh.”
Series five of Malory Towers was the first to be shot in a UK studio – interiors for the previous series were filmed in Canada. 
This time the production company used interiors built at The Bottle Yard Studios in south Bristol, which also gave convenient access to its regular filming locations in Devon and Cornwall.
Eleven sets were built at The Bottle Yard Studios for many of the school’s interior settings including the iconic dormitory, classrooms, and common areas, with approximately 70 crew members working at the studio each day.
Jo Sargent, managing director of King Bert Productions, which makes Malory Towers, said: “With our location filming taking place in North Devon, Cornwall and Bristol, The Bottle Yard Studios has been the perfect home for our sets and allowed us to maximise the use of regional crew and suppliers. 
“The Bottle Yard is an excellent studio and the team were very supportive during production.”
Their praise for Bristol as a filming location echoes similar comments made two years by the production team behind the Six-part psychological thriller Chloe, which was made also in the city.
They described Bristol as escribed as “a theatre of opportunity”.
Anticipation for Jatt & Juliet 3 has been high among fans of the Punjabi-language franchise. The first movie, released in 2012, was a box office hit, winning multiple awards at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards 2013 including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
The sequel, Jatt & Juliet 2, was released the following year becoming the highest-grossing Punjabi film ever made.
Laura Aviles, head of film at Bristol City Council, which owns The Bottle Yard and the Film Office, said: “Indian features made in the UK represent an increasingly significant portion of British film production each year, underpinned by a co-production agreement that has been in force between the UK and India governments since 2008.
“Bristol has hosted Bollywood many times over the years, but Jatt & Juliet 3 is definitely the largest and highest-profile Indian film shoot the city has accommodated to date.
“It’s so exciting that Bristol is a primary setting in this global blockbuster and testament to the great service provided by Bristol Film Office that the crew and cast were so well supported on the streets during the shoot, which definitely caused a buzz among local Pollywood fans.”
She added that quality children’s drama was a vital part of the film and TV production sector in the South West and so the Film Office was pleased its facilities at The Bottle Yard Studios fitted the bill so well when the Malory Towers production team moved its studio base from Canada to the UK.
TV and film production in Bristol generates more than £20m a year for the city’s economy, creating employment for freelance crew and industry companies, knock-on benefits for wider business sectors and increased screen tourism in the city.
Jatt & Juliet 3 images courtesy of White Hill Studios
