British Waterways has appointed Itasca Locations as its national agent to the film and photographic industry to promote the use of its waterways and properties.
British Waterways is the third largest owner of listed structures in the country, behind the National Trust and the Church of England. And BW cares for a wide range of locations ranging from toll houses and lock cottages to warehouses, garages and office buildings, as well as more than 2,000 miles of canals, river, historic docks and reservoirs.
In recent times, canals and rivers have featured in everything from reality TV to James Bond movies.
Big budget Hollywood favourites like ‘28 Weeks Later’ and ‘The World Is Not Enough,’ were filmed around the imposing cityscape of London’s Docklands, and recently the capital’s canal network has been used in the filming of Tomas Alfredson's ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.
‘The Full Monty’ includes the famous scene where characters are marooned on the roof of a sinking car in the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, and ‘This is England,’ features scenes on the Nottingham & Beeston Canal.
Long-running TV classics like ‘Inspector Morse’ and ‘Coronation Street’ and productions including the adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel ‘The Colour of Magic’ and ‘Crusoe’ starring Sean Bean, have all utilised the waterway network as a location.
BW head of communications, Ed Fox, said, “British Waterways cares for a remarkable network of historic canals, rivers and docks across the country which we already know has a strong appeal for commercial photographers and film-makers. Filming helps to raise public awareness of the waterways, attract visitors and contribute income for their upkeep. We are delighted then to have Itasca Locations on board and look forward to working with them to promote our hugely diverse locations to the industry.”
