Glorious 39: set visit

Film Network visits the set of Stephen Poliakoff’s new feature film.

BBC Film Network visited the set of Stephen Poliakoff's Glorious 39 last November, as the cast and crew were holed up in a cold stately home in Bradford-on-Avon.

1939, as the film was tentatively titled at the time, was to be Stephen Poliakoff's first foray into feature filmmaking for over a decade, following his hugely successful run of TV dramas, so every attempt was made to assemble a starry cast and produce a film as cinematic as possible. David Tennant, Julie Christie, Billy Nighy, Hugh Bonneville, Christopher Lee and Jeremy Northam are just some of the talent appearing in this BBC Films production, along with hotly tipped newcomers like Romola Garai.

Writer-director Stephen Poliakoff recounts why this story of pre-war intrigue holds a particular resonance for him, while producer Barney Reisz explains the practicalities of film production and location manager Harriet Lawrence details the difficulties of finding suitable stately homes for the shoot.

Filmed by Stephen Bailey, interviews by Claire Cook, edited by Daniel Lucas, text by James Rocarols