Cornwall has one of the strongest track records of any region in the UK for attracting film and television productions. The coastline, the moorland, the harbour towns and the light have drawn directors back repeatedly, from period dramas to Hollywood blockbusters, and everything in between. If you’ve watched British TV in the last twenty years, there’s a good chance you’ve already seen Cornwall without realising it.
We work in the same landscapes as a video production company in Cornwall.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the most notable films filmed in Cornwall and the specific locations involved.
Poldark, Charlestown, Bodmin Moor, Porthgwarra, St Agnes Head
The BBC’s Poldark, the historical drama following Ross Poldark through late 18th-century Cornwall, is perhaps the series most associated with the county’s landscape. Almost every exterior shot is a postcard. Four locations in particular defined the series visually:
- Charlestown, the historic harbour with its tall ships provided the perfect period backdrop for quayside scenes throughout the run.
- Bodmin Moor, the wide, open moorland doubled as Poldark’s Cornwall countryside. Every brooding gallop across heathland was shot here.
- Porthgwarra, this small cove near Land’s End featured in numerous episodes, including the swimming scenes that became something of a cultural moment.
- St Agnes Head, the cliffs provided dramatic coastal framing for exterior scenes, the kind of landscape that makes Cornwall unmistakable on screen.
Doc Martin, Port Isaac
Doc Martin, the long-running ITV comedy drama starring Martin Clunes, is set in the fictional village of Portwenn, which is actually Port Isaac. The real village’s narrow streets, tight harbour, and unchanged character made it an almost perfect fit. The production ran for eleven series and embedded Port Isaac firmly in the national imagination.
Fisherman’s Friends, Port Isaac, St Kew, St Minver
The Fisherman’s Friends films are based on the true story of a group of Port Isaac fishermen who were signed to a major label and made the UK top ten. The productions leaned heavily into the authenticity of location, Port Isaac again at its centre, with St Kew and St Minver providing additional Cornish texture. The films work because they genuinely are Cornwall, not a dressed-up version of it.
Game of Thrones, St Michael’s Mount, Holywell Bay
While Game of Thrones was largely shot in Northern Ireland, Iceland, and Croatia, Cornwall made its appearance. St Michael’s Mount, the tidal island near Marazion with its medieval castle, was used for filming, with the visual drama of the causeway and fortress lending itself naturally to the world of the series. Holywell Bay near Newquay also hosted filming across multiple visits. I was actually there when the production came through, the scale of it at a beach location like that is something else entirely.
Alice in Wonderland (2010), Antony House
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland used Antony House, an 18th-century mansion near Torpoint managed by the National Trust, for several of its exterior garden sequences. The formal gardens and stone architecture provided a suitably strange, slightly off-kilter quality, very much in keeping with Burton’s aesthetic. The National Trust property is open to visitors and the gardens remain largely as they were on screen.
The Kid Who Would Be King, Tintagel, Bodmin Moor
Joe Cornish’s The Kid Who Would Be King took a modern lens to Arthurian legend, and naturally came to Cornwall for it. Tintagel Castle, already inextricable from the Arthur mythology, provided the mythic weight the film needed, while Bodmin Moor again offered its wide, atmospheric landscapes for the larger exterior sequences.
About Time, St Austell Bay
Richard Curtis’s About Time, the time-travel romance with Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, used the coastline around St Austell Bay extensively. The Cornwall sequences anchor the film’s emotional register, the warmth, the light, the unhurried pace of the coastline there functioning as a kind of visual shorthand for the life the characters are trying to hold onto.
Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor
Daphne du Maurier set Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor for good reason. The isolation, the weather, the sense of a landscape that doesn’t care much for human comfort, it’s all there. Multiple adaptations have returned to film on the Moor, including the BBC version with Jessica Brown Findlay. The Jamaica Inn itself still stands on the A30 and remains a working pub and hotel. Du Maurier’s connection to Cornwall runs deep, she lived at Menabilly near Fowey for many years, a house that also inspired Rebecca.
The Personal History of David Copperfield, Bude and Clovelly
Armando Iannucci’s bright, generous adaptation of David Copperfield (2019) used several West Country locations, including Bude, Wadebridge, and Clovelly. Clovelly in particular, the private estate village in Devon with its cobbled donkey path down to the harbour, was a natural fit for a Dickens adaptation. Both locations gave the film its grounded, period texture without leaning too heavily on the picturesque.
Cornwall as a filming location
These productions only scratch the surface. Cornwall has also hosted sequences from Treasure Island, Rebecca, and more recently served as backdrop for a number of commercial campaigns and branded films. The county has a well-established relationship with the camera, both because of what it looks like, and because of the practical infrastructure that’s grown around that.
If you’re a brand or agency considering Cornwall as a filming location, we shoot here regularly. Our guide to the best video production companies in Cornwall and the South West is a good starting point, and you can explore our own production approach to understand how we work with location as part of storytelling. For enquiries about filming in Cornwall with Salt & Gorse, get in touch here.