Renée Zellweger is back on our screens as Bridget Jones for “one last chapter”. In this fourth and evidently final instalment, the iconic character navigates life and romance, now as a widow and single mother.
It was aptly released in time for Valentine’s day and has broken the rom-com box office record in the UK. Filming took place all over London, with FilmFixer boroughs and locations featuring heavily throughout.
Southwark
Some of the locations were a throwback – such as Southwark’s Borough Market; the locale for Bridget’s apartment in the original Bridget Jones’s Diary. This time, we facilitated shoots for walking and talking scenes between Bridget and her new man Roxter (Leo Woodall) on their first date.
Scenes of Bridget walking through the market in her bunny costume back in 2001 showed it to be semi-deserted. Since then, lots has changed. Michael Morris, the film’s director, reflected on how brilliantly busy the market is nowadays in an interview with TimeOut and said “We managed to [get the shot] through the brilliance of our location department.”
Camden
Bridget now lives in Hampstead, and plenty of scenes were shot on location in the leafy Camden region. We facilitated a snowy shoot on Flask Walk and scenes on Christchurch Hill, where Christ Church Primary School provided the exteriors for Bridget’s kids’ school. We also facilitated lots of parking in the borough to support filming at Bridget’s new ‘home’ on the Vale of Health and scenes on Hampstead Heath.
Other Locations
Bridget and Roxter’s date extended across to Portobello Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Another shoot in the borough – on Thurloe Square – features in the opening sequence of the film’s trailer.
Bridget’s children’s school interiors were shot in Islington’s Yerbury Primary School. The borough also hosted the production for a large shoot on Essex Road (with filming taking place in the Old Queen’s Head pub).
In the borough of Barnet, the Spaniard’s Inn (which sits right on the boundary between Camden and Barnet) was a location for a key scene. We licenced filming on Spaniard’s Road for a character being chased down the street after leaving the pub.
Set Ready
As always, we were proud to be able to create paid placements on set for recent graduates of our free two-day training course. Find out more about it at www.setready.co.uk