Sussex seaside town named among UK’s 'most romantic filming locations'

With Valentine’s Day just five weeks away – and couples likely considering a romantic getaway reminiscent of their favourite film or TV character – TourScanner has conducted a study to discover which of the UK’s cities has the highest percentage of romantic films or TV shows shot on location.

This was to help those looking to book a trip where they can ‘celebrate their love like their favourite characters’.

"Film tourism has become a major travel trend in recent years, as movie and television show enthusiasts have taken to visiting locations featured in their favourite productions,” a spokesperson for TourScanner said.

"Romance is one of the most popular film and TV genres, and movies and TV shows are often set in some of the most breathtaking and idyllic locations around the world.

“Yet many of us have likely watched something and wondered whether it was actually filmed on location rather than on a lifelike set.”

Worthing was found to be the third location with the highest percentage of romance films – with 22 percent of movies filmed there in the romance genre. The town has provided a filming location for films such as Empire of Light (2022).

Part of the movie – starring Olivia Colman, Toby Jones and Colin Firth – was filmed inside Worthing's Pavilion Theatre.

Travel expert Guillaume Picard, co-founder of TourScanner, said: “It’s fantastic to see how many iconic romantic movies and TV shows were filmed across the UK, and some of the top results have been pleasantly surprising, with some lesser-known places featuring in the top ten.

“Visiting these locations could make a great Valentine’s trip for those who’ve always fantasised about living like their favourite on-screen characters, and attending guided tours that specialise in filming locations and behind-the-scenes information is a fantastic way to make an experience more unique and memorable.”

A seed list of 430 of the largest UK cities and towns by population was collected for the survey. Each city's IMDb location page was scraped using the Screaming Frog SEO Spider and then the number of titles included in the romantic genre and the total number of films were recorded.

Places with less than 50 productions were removed from the data before the percentage of romance films compared to the total number of films from that place was calculated. Click here to view the full study.

The market town of Keighley in West Yorkshire took the top spot, with 24.6 percent of films and TV shows set there romantic, out of 69 total.

“Some of the biggest films set there have been period classics like Jane Eyre (2011), Wuthering Heights (1992), and Emily (2022), and was even featured in period drama royalty Downton Abbey (2019),” the TourScanner spokesperson said.

"For anyone looking to live out their period-drama love story fantasies, the town is home to beautiful buildings like the Dalton Mills, Cliffe Castle, and the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.”

In second place, and used as the filming location for 118 films and TV shows in total, was Bath. This Somerset city provides the stunning scenery for 29 in the romance genre out of 118 total films and TV shows set there – roughly 24.6 percent.

TourScanner added: “The city’s historical roots make it hugely popular with filmmakers for period films, hosting the cast and crew of romantic motion pictures, such as The Other Boleyn Girl (2008),The Duchess (2008), and Persuasion (2007), and television shows like Poldark (2015-2019).

“Known for its beautiful architecture, tourists to Bath can feel like their favourite characters as they explore the streets lined with its elegant Georgian buildings and visit ancient ruins like the Roman Baths.”