Yorkshire's top 20 film locations revealed

It’s no surprise that the county has featured in hundreds of films over the past century, but which of those films are the most favoured?

New data gathered by Wheelwrights York has revealed the most popular films featuring some of Yorkshire’s most iconic backdrops. Analysing a combination of viewer rankings across IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes along with each film’s weekend Box Office performance, a top ten ranking has been created.

Analysing a combination of viewer rankings across IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes with each film’s weekend box office performance, a top 10 ranking has been created.

Here is the top 20:

1 The King's Speech - Elland Road Stadium in Leeds

2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 1 – Malham Cove in Malham, near Skipton

3 The Princess Bride – Hathersage Moor, Sheffield

4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – Goathland Station, Whitby and York Train Station

5 Barry Lyndon - Castle Howard, York

6 Paddington 2 – Nidd Gorge Viaduct, Harrogate

7 Stardust – Menwith Hill, Harrogate

8 Downton Abbey (film) – North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering Train Station, Wentworth Woodhouse, Harewood House, and Dalton Mills

9 Atonement – Redcar Beach, Cous Steelworks, Regent Cinema, Redcar

10 Pink Floyd – The Wall, Bradford, Keighley, Ingrow, and Keighley Railway

11 Darkest Hour – Wentworth House, South Yorkshire and Brodsworth Hall, Doncaster

12 National Treasure (2016) – Leeds, Kingston upon Hull and Bradford City Hall

13 The Meaning of Life – Ilkley Moor, Ilkley, Manningham, Bradford, Keighley and East Riddleston Hall.

14 IP Man 4 – Church Fenton Studios, Busk Lane, Church Fenton, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

15 A Monster Calls – Peel Street, Woods Terrace in Marsden, Huddersfield. Linthwaite and Gillroyd Lane in Huddersfield.

16 The Full Monty – All across Sheffield, including Crookes Cemetery

17 Official Secrets – Leeds, Otley Police Station, Shipley, Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Haworth, Keighley, Bradford, Doncaster Sheffield Airport, City Hall Bradford, Chapel Allterton

18 Chariot's of Fire – York Railway Station and Harrogate

19 The Dark Crystal – Brimham Rocks, Harrogate, Gordale Scar, Malham and Ilkley Moor

20 Jane Ayre – Howarth, Keighley, Bradford and Sheffield

Taking the top spot as the most popular is The King’s Speech. Released in 2010, the film made £347.2 million at box office on the weekend of its release, gaining an impressive 92 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Filming locations included Elland Road Stadium, home of Leeds United FC.

Two Harry Potter films feature in the top ten, with Deathly Hallows Part 1 taking second place. The movie bagged £790 million at the box office, the largest of any film in the list, and has an IMDB average rating of 7.7. The movie features scenes from Yorkshire, including Malham Cove.

Locations such as Harrogate and York feature multiple times in the list, with the historic and picturesque destinations proving popular backdrops for the big screen.

In addition to the features within the top 10, you can also spot York in the likes of Robinhood: Prince of Thieves, Transformers: The Last Knight, and Garfield 2, which all ranked in the top 100. The historic city of York is also home to The Shambles, said to be the director's inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

“We’re not surprised to see York featured so heavily in the top rankings. The historic city has everything from quaint streets, to an impressive cathedral, City Walls and bell towers, all which offer a sense of history and grandeur, standing out on screen” says Jerry Rebbeck from Wheelwrights York who offer a range of holiday homes in York

Interestingly, train stations and railways across Yorkshire also prove popular in the top 10, as Harry Potter, Barry Lyndon, Paddington 2 and Downtown Abbey all chose to film at iconic railways across the region.

In the coming months, expect to see the region hit the silver screen again, as films such as Mission Impossible 7 and Indiana Jones V have both chosen key locations across Yorkshire to film.