My Policeman
Brighton’s My Policeman – filming locations
The much-anticipated film “My Policeman” starring Harry Styles and Emma Corrin hits screens this month. Based on the Bethan Roberts novel predominantly set in 1950s Brighton, the story examines sexuality and social constraints and culture as a love triangle develops between a policeman, schoolteacher and museum curator.
The film’s release will delight Stylers and fans of the book and excite proud residents and regular visitors to Brighton – for business or pleasure – to see city centre locations and surrounding areas featured in the film.
Pre-production started in November 2020 with a local location manager who we’ve worked with since 2016. Many of the crew were also local and happy to come onboard for the production. From beaches and buildings to various streets in Sussex, we helped with location enquiries, filming permits and film fixer support from start to finish.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the locations used throughout the film together with some insider knowledge…
Newhaven beach
East of Brighton, Newhaven is well known for its harbour and dedicated ferry to France. This gem of a beach is hidden away at the bottom of Newhaven’s 19th Century Fort (built to defend the harbour) and is often used by filmmakers because of its gentle shingle and pebble beach. With the impressive cliffs serving as a dramatic backdrop, it’s a great location for filming and photography, less loud than Brighton’s beaches.
The film features four of the cast swimming in the sea. Production brought in approximately 40 extras for the scene, including children; 15 period boats were also dressed.
Peacehaven cliffs and undercliff prom
West of Newhaven, Peacehaven’s shingle beach with rocks and boulders lies at the bottom of the town’s cliffs, with access via concrete steps cut into the cliff face.
The undercliff walk and large promenade lead to Saltdean and further on to Brighton with the imposing white chalk cliffs running along the coastline. Keep an eye out for these scenes! When production took to filming at the location (May 2021) there were 50mph winds and torrential rain. They did a reshoot in December because of the bad weather but at time of filming they were faced with the exact same wind and rain! It’ll be interesting to see the scenes on screen…
Saltdean shops and streets
Saltdean features in the 1990’s part of the film where it was ‘dressed’ to look like Peacehaven in that era… You’ll spot the staged signage on shop fronts as part of the recreation. They also filmed in various roads around Saltdean owing to its lack of modernisation and the ease of traffic management. You’ll spot the main coast road in the 90’s scenes with a Brighton & Hove taxi driving from Rottingdean, the next town on from Saltdean, and onto Brighton; they used a drone to capture some aerial shots.
Brighton beach
The Palace Pier takes pride of place on Brighton’s seafront together with the Bandstand, British Airways i360 Viewing Tower and remains of the West Pier along the city’s multiple beaches; all iconic locations available for filming. There are scenes in My Policeman featuring a 1950s made over Palace Pier – in shot and in the background – together with stretches of Brighton’s beaches towards Hove.
Worthing Dome
The iconic Worthing Dome sits to the west of Brighton. A Grade II* listed Edwardian building that opened in the early 20th century and lovingly restored to its former glory since then. You can’t miss the Dome’s stunning interiors when watching the film. It’s a fantastic location for filmmakers and photographers alike.
Tarring High Street – Worthing
Tarring High Street is a real jewel in Worthing’s crown. With buildings dating back to the 13th Century and cobble and flint fronted cottages lining the curved street, it was a perfect location for the film. The location team loved the street given it had received no modernisation over the years. The art department had to do very little – there weren’t even any yellow lines on the roads… Keep an eye out for The Vine pub and the period action vehicles they parked outside it!
Shoreham – private location
Shoreham sits between Brighton and Worthing – a traditional seaside town with streets considerably quieter than the hustle and bustle of London and/or Brighton, ideal for filming. A private location was used for some scenes – Mum’s the word on this one…
The Royal Pavilion
Some news outlets speculated that The Royal Pavilion was used for a few indoor scenes. While it’s evident from the trailer Harry Styles’ and Emma Corrin’s characters are filmed walking through the Royal Pavilion Gardens, they didn’t film inside the famous building. They actually used the Royal Pavilion Court Room for catering! This would be why so many onlookers spotted crew and cast in and around the building off North Street…