Where did the cast and crew pitch up?
Guy Ritchie’s latest project is an eight-parter for Netflix titled The Gentlemen, a spin-off of his 2020 film of the same name.
The action-packed series stars The White Lotus’s Theo James as Eddie Horniman, the son of an aristocrat who unexpectedly inherits his father’s country estate – which also happens to be part of a cannabis empire.
Appearing alongside James are a raft of screen heavyweights, including Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Ritchie favourites Ray Winstone and Vinnie Jones, and Joely Richardson (One Day, Nip/Tuck).
Filming took place in various UK locations, which you can find out more about below.
Where is The Gentlemen filmed?
Halstead manner, where Eddie and his brother Freddie (Daniel Ings) were raised, “sets the tone of The Gentlemen“, said co-writer and executive producer Matthew Read, who also described it as “another character in the show”.
“It also connects to the history of aristocracy and to one of the show’s key themes of class. So as soon as Eddie turns up at Halstead, you understand so much about his character, his background and his life.
“And when the cocaine dealing scousers arrive there, the contrast between the two worlds is laid out right before you. It’s a brilliant shortcut to the heart of the story.”
Halstead Manor is actually Badminton House, the Gloucestershire seat of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort.
“Badminton felt immediately right for Halstead because it’s a proper, lived in, home, rather than a National Trust museum,” said location manager Iggy Ellis. “So inside there’d be some walking sticks by the door or a few shotgun rounds from where they’d been out shooting. There were cracks and tired bits as you’d get in every family home. But there was also oil painting and history and majesty. It felt perfect for our story.”
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Ings added: “When it comes to capturing the essence of aristocracy, they [the locations] do a lot of the work for you. When you’re in those vast halls with their antiques and their huge 15ft oil paintings, you can’t help but get a sense of all the privilege and the history and the beauty.
“And when you’re standing there in a dressing gown with a vape and a shotgun, it also really helps to ram home that clash of styles.”
Badminton House was one of 80 locations used in the series, most of which were “real-life backdrops”.
Others include:
- Loseley Park (near Guildford) for the filming of other “grand interiors”, including inside Halstead Manor.
- Wrotham Park (South Mimms, Hertfordshire) doubled as Uncle Stan’s opulent country estate.
- The Reform Club (central London, south side of Pall Mall) doubled as Pinky’s Club.
- Printworks events space (Rotherhithe, south-east London) doubled up as the boxing ring for the illegal fight in episode 2.
- Billingsgate Market
- St Paul’s Church (Southwark, London)
“We were also shooting in Oxfordshire at this house that’s meant to be the home of Lord Whitecroft, who has also leased his land to the gangsters, and it’s a crumbling castle with a moat around it,” said Ings.
Alperton Studios (also in London) was used to “create some of the interiors”, such as a council flat in Croydon where Eddie “gets physical with one of Tommy Dixons goons”.
“You could never have filmed that scene in a real council flat because it doesn’t have the space,” said production designer Martyn John.
“So we built one three times the size with a corridor, a lift, a kitchen and a bedroom and put a photographic backdrop at the window. When you watch the show you’ll hopefully believe you’re in an actual council flat. I was really pleased with it.”
The Gentlemen is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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