Digbeth & Small Heath named in top 20 tourist destinations for TV fans - here’s why

A new survey of TV fans across the UK has found that 53% of people are inspired to travel across the country after watching the likes of Peaky Blinders and Line of Duty - both inspired by Birmingham.

Other TV shows included in findings are Poldark, Bridgerton and Downton Abbey - with 58% claiming once they got to their desired destination it was better than they expected

And 22 per cent of the 2,000 adults polled say they still have places they hope to visit, with London’s Tower Bridge - as seen in Killing Eve - number one on their wish list.

Other places include the set of much-loved soap, Coronation Street, and Holmfirth in West Yorkshire - the filming location of Last of the Summer Wine. Also on the wish list are the home of Doc Martin (Port Isaac) and St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, which was featured in House of the Dragon.

Digbeth and Small Heath both feature at number 17 in the top 20, with Tower Bridge in London at number one for Killing Eve and Manchester at number two for Coronation Street. You can see the full list at the bottom of our story.

Most of the Peaky Blinders BBC series wasn’t filmed in Birmingham, the nearest location was the Black Country Living Museum. But the gang hailed from Small Heath, where creator Steven Knight was brought up and regularly visited the streets of nearby Digbeth, where they are said to have committed their first crime.

The research was commissioned by megabus which has teamed up with TV fanatic, Alex Zane, to launch a series of new, free travel guides featuring some of the nation’s silver screen hotspots.

Alex went on a show-stopping tour of the UK visiting some of the must-see places that feature in the guides, including Paton Street in Manchester (It’s a Sin), Carnaby Street in London (I May Destroy You) and the Queen’s Arms in Birmingham (Line of Duty).

He said: “As a TV and film superfan, I was thrilled to be part of the ultimate telly treasure trail across the UK. I had so much fun on my very own ‘mission impossible’ in Birmingham, doffing my cap to Peaky Blinders in Manchester and tucking into a fry-up at Top Boy’s ‘Number One Café’, and much more. It’s no wonder 58 per cent of Brits said a filming destination they’d seen in a TV show or film was better than they expected.”

The study also found 19 per cent of superfans would travel more than 200 miles to visit somewhere they’ve seen on TV while 22 per cent would spend over £200 to get there.

Despite this, 14 per cent have missed out on visiting a specific destination because of the travel costs involved. For some, it seems the interest in filming locations began at a young age as 21 per cent have been compiling a wish list of places they would love to visit since they were little.

And 28 per cent have even dreamed of travelling to a location since seeing it on TV as a child. Almost two thirds (62 per cent) have taken themselves on a guided tour of certain filming destinations while 38 per cent have booked one with a professional.

Wanting to recreate a well-known scene (26 per cent) was the top reason for visiting where their favourite show was filmed, while 24 per cent went for the social media selfie.

And a quarter have even gone there in the hope of bumping into one of the cast members. It also emerged 31 per cent tune into certain programmes purely for holiday inspiration, according to the OnePoll study. Those under 35 seem to be leading this trend as 30 per cent claim TV and films are their main motivation when travelling in the UK.

Mark Venables, at megabus, said: “While we all love a good TV binge, there’s nothing like visiting the actual place where a much-loved movie or TV show was filmed to bring it to life.

“And with 45 per cent of people planning a trip before the end of the year based on their favourite show, we hope our guides offer inspiration of where to go and what to see in some of the UK’s most famous TV destinations.”

THE TOP 20 TV FILMING DESTINATIONS BRITS WANT TO VISIT:

1. Tower Bridge, London – “Killing Eve”

2. Coronation Street, Manchester - “Coronation Street”

3. Holmfirth, West Yorkshire – “Last of the Summer Wine”

4. Port Isaac, Cornwall – “Doc Martin”

5. Emmerdale, Yorkshire – “Emmerdale”

6. St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall – “House of The Dragon”

7. Highclere Castle, Newbury – “Downton Abbey”

8. Truro, Cornwall – “Poldark”

9. Barry Island, Wales – “Gavin and Stacey”

10. West Bay, Dorset – “Broadchurch”

11. Bath – “Bridgerton”

12. Margate, Kent – “Only Fools and Horses”

13. Lyme Park, Cheshire – “Pride & Prejudice”

14. Princes Street and Calton Street, Edinburgh – “Trainspotting”

15. Carnaby Street, London – “I May Destroy You”

16. Allison Street, Birmingham – “You Don’t Know Me”

17. Digbeth and Small Heath, Birmingham – “Peaky Blinders”

18. Halifax, West Yorkshire – “Last Tango in Halifax”

19. Holywell Bay Beach, Cornwall – “House of The Dragon”

20. Dartmouth Park, Kentish Town – “Fleabag”

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