Film crew hire/Bristol/Locations and permits
Filming in Bristol. Who says yes, how much notice they want, and what it costs.
Council streets, parks, the harbourside and Redcliffe Caves all go through one office, Bristol Film Office. Bath has a film office of its own, Clifton Suspension Bridge has its own trust, Temple Meads is Network Rail’s, and the SS Great Britain, the University of Bristol and The Mall at Cribbs Causeway each say yes for themselves. Fees and notice checked October 2026.
Street permit · up to 10 crew
£84 + VAT
Notice and neighbours’ letters
7 days
Road closure · up to 2 days
£721 + VAT
Drones near the bridge
50m away
On this page
01 The short version
How filming permission works in Bristol
01
Work out whose land it is
A pavement on Park Street, the grass on The Downs, the quay at Princes Wharf and Redcliffe Caves are all council land, so they go to Bristol Film Office. Clifton Suspension Bridge is its trust’s, the platforms at Temple Meads are Network Rail’s, and anywhere in Bath is Bath Film Office’s. The SS Great Britain, the University of Bristol and The Mall decide for themselves.
02
Apply to the right office, early enough
Bristol Film Office wants seven days’ notice, two weeks for a road closure of up to two days and usually eight to ten weeks for a longer one. Temple Meads takes five working days for ten people or fewer, and a drone on council land seven days.
03
Tell the people who need telling
Homes and businesses get a letter at least seven days before the shoot. With less notice, someone from the production has to talk to them in person, or the permit can be refused. A night shoot needs Bristol Film Office and Avon and Somerset Police to agree first.
Finding the location first
Bristol Film Office
Its site has a locations section, from Clifton Down to Princes Wharf and Redcliffe Caves, with what’s been filmed at each. The office works from The Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch, and takes questions at bristolfilmoffice@bristol.gov.uk.
Over the boundary
It covers the city only. For the rest, it points you to Bath Film Office, North Somerset Film Office, South Gloucestershire Council and Screen Somerset.
The landowners’ lists
Network Rail lists Temple Meads in its location library, and the University of Bristol markets its own buildings, from Goldney Hall to the Victoria Rooms.
The recce
We walk it before the shoot, at the hour you’ll film, and check every vehicle against the Clean Air Zone, which in Bristol charges older cars as well as vans. That’s in the logistics guide.
Who files it
On a full production our producer applies for all of it, in our name. On a crew hire the location and its permission stay with you: Bristol Film Office wants the public liability certificate of the company applying, and it won’t accept one in a person’s name unless they’re a sole trader. A production manager we book can run the applications, the bays and the call sheet for you.
02 The film office
Bristol Film Office: one office for the city
Filming on council land in Bristol goes through Bristol Film Office, part of Bristol City Council. It covers the city only: Bath has its own film office, at Bath & North East Somerset Council. From its filming permission pages, Code of Practice and 2026–27 charges, checked October 2026.
| What you need | Minimum notice |
|---|---|
| A shoot on council land | 7 days |
| A letter to neighbours and businesses | 7 days before filming, and 7 if your lights may spill into homes |
| Less than 7 days to go | Someone from the production speaks to the people affected in person, or permission may be refused |
| A parking suspension | 3 working days |
| Coning on yellow lines | 3 working days |
| Stop/Go traffic control, holding traffic 5 minutes at most | 7 days |
| Temporary traffic lights | 7 days |
| Closing a pavement or footpath | 7 days, with an alternative route |
| A road closure of up to 2 days, by Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice | 2 weeks |
| A road closure of 3 days or more, by Temporary Traffic Regulation Order | Usually 8 to 10 weeks |
| A drone taking off or landing on council land | 7 days; the office aims to confirm within 5 working days |
| A night shoot | Authorised in advance by Bristol Film Office and Avon and Somerset Police |
How applying works
FilmApp
Applications go in on FilmApp, which Bath and North Somerset use too, with a full risk assessment and at least £5m public liability.
What needs a permit
Any commercial shoot for broadcast or public viewing on council-managed land: the streets, City Docks and the Harbourside, the parks and The Downs, car parks, St Nicholas Market and the other markets, museums, libraries, council buildings, and six cemeteries and crematoria.
News and podcasts
News filming needs no permit, unless there’s a drone. Non-scripted podcasts and vodcasts count as current affairs, so they pay no exterior fee.
Paying
After a complete application the office emails a cost sheet, you send a purchase order if your company uses them, and the council’s invoice is paid online. The council keeps the copyright in the footage until it’s paid in full, and an unpaid invoice means no future permits (charges and payments).
Cancelling
No cancellation terms are published, so we ask before the dates are fixed.
Students
No filming on council land before 08:00 or after 22:00, no weapons, real or fake, no drones, and £5m public liability, which college cover can provide. Serious breaches carry a £250 penalty (student guidance).
Worth knowing
Bristol Film Office is one part of Bristol City Council’s Film Services. The Bottle Yard Studios and Bristol UNESCO City of Film are the other two, and the office works from the studio site in Whitchurch. Stages and green screen are in the studios guide.
03 Fees
What a permit costs: Bristol and Bath
Both film offices publish their 2026–27 charges. Every figure here is plus VAT, and both price a crew by its size.
| Bristol Film Office | Bath Film Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Street filming, smallest crews | £84, up to 10 crew | £90, 1 to 10 crew |
| Street filming, the next band | £163, 11 to 40 | £167, 11 to 19 |
| Bigger crews | By negotiation, 41 or more | On application, 20 or more |
| Parks and open spaces | £178 for up to 10 on a small, factual or documentary shoot, the harbourside included | £138, 1 to 10 crew |
| Bigger shoots in a park | By negotiation | On application, 11 or more |
| A drone | £245 to £465 a day, by location | £138 admin fee |
| A recce | Not listed | £138 |
| An officer on site | Charged by the hour; the rate isn’t published | £138 |
| A unit base, per day | £600 to £820 (see the logistics guide) | £555 for the Lansdown Playing Fields North car park, £802 with the field |
| Council interiors | By negotiation: City Hall, the museums and historic houses, A Bond warehouse, Redcliffe Caves | On application: the Roman Baths, the Guildhall, Culverhay School |
| A drama or feature, admin | £200 a production | Not listed |
| News, charities, students | No exterior fee (below) | Not on the fee sheet |
No fee in Bristol
News and current affairs, registered charities making their own content, students, and community and non-profit groups pay no exterior fee. A media company working for a charity does pay.
Bath charges up front
Its fees are charged when you apply, and they aren’t refunded.
Staff on site
If Bristol Film Office or Bristol Security staff need to be there, their time is charged by the hour.
On the water
Swimming in the Floating Harbour needs special permission, and anything on or in the waterways can cost extra.
Late changes
Changing a Bristol unit base with under 30 hours’ notice can bring a late-notice charge.
04 Council land
Council land: streets, parks, caves and markets
The council’s streets, parks, buildings and cemeteries all go through Bristol Film Office. Streets and parks have the fixed fees above; interiors are priced by negotiation. From the office’s own location and production pages, checked October 2026.
Redcliffe Caves
Man-made tunnels under Redcliffe, dug for the sand used in glassmaking and pottery. They were the Cornish tin mines in Poldark, and they’re in Doctor Who’s Empress of Mars, The Last Bus, Skins and Casualty. A council interior, priced by negotiation (location page).
St Nicholas Market
A council market, permitted by the office like the museums and libraries. Skins filmed there.
Ashton Court
850 acres of parkland, a Site of Special Scientific Interest with red and fallow deer. Poldark series 5 used the house and grounds, and Sherlock’s The Abominable Bride filmed there. Its Church Lodge car park is a unit base: £600 a day, or £710 to have it to yourself, plus VAT.
The Downs
Clifton Down and Durdham Down are on the office’s list, and were in Kiri, The Last Bus, The Lazarus Project and The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies. The Downs are also where recreational drone pilots take off, so expect company.
City Hall and A Bond warehouse
Council interiors, priced by negotiation. McDonald & Dodds used both in series 2.
M Shed
The council’s museum on Princes Wharf. The building was used in Stan & Ollie and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
The cemeteries
Canford, South Bristol, Greenbank, Avonview, Henbury and Brislington are all on the list. Greenbank is in Skins.
The streets
Queen Square, King Street and Cathedral Square were in Sherlock’s The Abominable Bride, Park Street and College Green in Skins, Broad Street in Young Sherlock, and Park Place, Bruton Place and Frederick Place in Clifton in Doctor Who in 2023. Streets and squares like these are Bristol Film Office’s.
05 The water
The harbour: quays, ships and the water
City Docks and the Harbourside are council locations, permitted through Bristol Film Office; swimming in the Floating Harbour needs special permission (checked October 2026). From Bristol Film Office’s harbourside pages.
Princes Wharf
Home to M Shed, four Grade II listed electric cargo cranes and the Bristol Harbour Railway, and the mooring for the MV Balmoral, built in 1949. It has played 1970s Port Royal in Black Cake, 1940s St Helier in Another Mother’s Son, 1940s Guernsey in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and 1950s Cobh in Stan & Ollie (location page).
The ships
The Matthew was in Galavant and the Kaskelot in Poldark, and Phoenix Wharf was dressed as 1700s Boston (harbourside locations).
The fee
Harbourside exteriors are £178 + VAT for up to ten crew on a small, factual or documentary shoot; bigger shoots by negotiation.
In the water
Swimming in the Floating Harbour needs special permission, and charges can be added for anything on or in the water.
A camera boat
Before we book one, we ask Bristol Film Office who else on the harbour needs to agree.
Unit bases by the water
The Amphitheatre and Waterfront Square, £600 to £820 a day, and Redcliffe Wharf, £600, all plus VAT.
The SS Great Britain
Its dry dock and Albion Dockyard are the SS Great Britain Trust’s, not the council’s: more below.
Canals and rivers beyond the harbour
Who owns the bank
Where the water is the Canal & River Trust’s, it gives its own permission through FilmApp, with five working days’ notice, £5m public liability and the invoice paid in advance. It allows no recreational drones.
Towards Bath
Ownership changes along the Avon, so we confirm whose bank it is at the recce, and the Kennet & Avon Canal through Bath is the stretch we check first.
| Production | Canal & River Trust rate, plus VAT |
|---|---|
| General views | £94 an hour |
| Factual TV | £153 an hour |
| Brand photography and online video | From £196 an hour |
| TV ads and TV drama | From £228 an hour |
| Feature film | From £294 an hour |
| Commercial drone filming | £179 an hour |
| Charity | £379 a day |
| Student film | £151 a day |
06 The bridge
Clifton Suspension Bridge: its own trust, its own rules
Clifton Suspension Bridge belongs to its own trust: handheld cameras are welcome, a tripod needs a word with a Bridge Attendant and an indemnity form, and drones of 250g or more must stay 50 metres from the bridge (checked October 2026; the Trust’s filming page).
The bridge
Brunel’s design, finished after his death by John Hawkshaw and William Henry Barlow, and opened as a toll bridge on 8 December 1864. The deck is 75.5m above high water, with 214m between the piers (facts and figures).
Handheld or tripod
Handheld cameras are welcome. A tripod means a word with a Bridge Attendant when you arrive, and a Filming Indemnity Form.
Commercial shoots
Considered case by case by the Bridge Master, at bridgemaster@cliftonbridge.org.uk, with charges on request. Closing the bridge to the public costs extra, and a production that needs a closure or a compound should call first. No notice period is published, so we ask as soon as the dates exist.
Drones
Nothing of 250g or more within 50 metres, and no taking off or landing on the bridge. Closer than the Drone Code allows needs CAA permission, applied for through the Trust. A commercial flight needs Bristol Film Office’s permit as well, and flying over the road needs a full road closure.
Driving across
Motor vehicles pay a £1 toll by contactless at the barrier; a rise to £1.50 is proposed from January 2027, subject to the Department for Transport.
On screen
The Inbetweeners 2, The Sense of an Ending, and Casualty, which filmed across Bristol for its first 26 series.
Getting there
From the Clifton side or the Leigh Woods side, with the kit on a trolley.
Planning a bridge day? Our full post has the timing, the weather and the crowds: how to film on Clifton Suspension Bridge.
07 Stations
Temple Meads and the railway: Network Rail and GWR
Temple Meads is one of the 20 stations Network Rail manages itself, and Network Rail publishes its rates. Bath Spa and Bristol Parkway are managed by Great Western Railway, which has a form of its own.
| Station | Managed by | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Temple Meads | Network Rail | Network Rail’s filming team, filming@networkrail.co.uk, with published rates (below) |
| Bath Spa | Great Western Railway | GWR’s filming request form, emailed in with £5m public liability. A week’s notice for day-to-day TV filming, more for anything complex |
| Bristol Parkway | Great Western Railway | The same GWR form |
| Temple Meads | Network Rail |
|---|---|
| Small crews | Ten people or fewer, cast included, on Temple Meads’ own Small Scale Filming Agreement. Inside five working days it’s the only way in, and it costs £500 more |
| Kit on a small crew | A handheld camera, monopod, tripod, a slider up to 1m, Steadicam (not an Easyrig), handheld or radio mics (no boom poles), a reflector up to 1.2m² (not silver or gold) and a wireless monitor |
| Bigger units | Up to 50 people: enquire 15 working days ahead, with the application, plans and risk assessment 12 ahead. Over 50: enquire 25 working days ahead, recce 20, apply 15 |
| Rate | Corporate and commercial work, ads and drama: £750 an hour for up to ten, £1,000 for 11 to 25, £1,500 for 26 to 50 and £2,000 for 51 to 100. Charity, factual and short films: £300 an hour for up to ten. Two hours minimum, plus VAT, paid in advance; prep and de-rig days at half price |
| When | Weekdays 10:00–16:00 or 20:00–06:30; weekends and bank holidays usually any time; 12 hours at most. Running into the peak isn’t allowed (a £5,000 surcharge) |
| Insurance | Up to £10m public liability, in sterling; at least £10m on a Small Scale Filming Agreement |
| People | More than ten need a Network Rail escort, which is charged |
Also on the railway
The building
Grade I listed, built in a mock Tudor style, and in the middle of a £95m refurbishment, so Network Rail recommends a recce: the station may not match its library photos. The original train shed, with its hammer-beam roof, is now part of the car park (location page).
On screen
The Titfield Thunderbolt (1952), The Halfway House (1944) and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972).
GWR’s stations and trains
Lights and flash are usually not allowed, and a safety briefing may come first.
Drones near the line
Network Rail doesn’t approve anyone’s drone flights. You tell it through its Dronecloud portal, the liability stays with the operator, and taking off or landing on its land is charged (aerial filming).
Travelling with kit
Getting crew and kit here by train, and vans through the Clean Air Zone, is a separate question. It’s in the logistics guide, with the luggage rules on GWR and CrossCountry.
08 Estates and venues
Private land and Bath: the owner says yes first
Bristol Film Office’s permit covers council land. Venues, estates and universities decide for themselves, and Bath has its own film office and its own Code. From each owner’s own pages, checked October 2026.
Bristol Dockyards and the SS Great Britain
The SS Great Britain Trust’s: the ship’s interiors, from the First Class Dining Saloon to the engine room, the Dry Dock, the Being Brunel museum and the working Albion Dockyard, with power, running water and Wi-Fi, Victorian props on site and about 150 parking spaces. Fees aren’t published: requests go through its commercial filming page.
Bristol Beacon
Hires its spaces, for 2 to 2,000 people, to film and TV, and can stream live on its own internet without a satellite truck (hire page). Its cellars were in Sherlock’s The Abominable Bride, and it’s in Poldark series 4.
Watershed
Cinema 1, with 197 seats, takes rushes, technical and cast and crew screenings every day. It publishes no terms for location filming, so we ask.
The University of Bristol
Markets its buildings for filming, from Royal Fort House (1756) and Goldney Hall (1714) to the Victoria Rooms (1841) and the rooftop GroDome on Life Sciences, through an online form. Sex Education series 4 filmed at the Wills Memorial Building and the School of Chemistry, and Goldney Hall is in McDonald & Dodds, Skins and Sherlock.
UWE
We found no external filming policy. Its Frenchay campus conference centre is in McDonald & Dodds series 4, so we ask the university first.
The Mall at Cribbs Causeway
A filming application form, a location fee for commercial work (the amounts aren’t published), £5m public liability, a method statement, a risk assessment and a signed location agreement.
Bristol Airport
Commercial filming pays location charges, and aviation stories, or ones that promote the South West, go first; there are no student films. Its rules for news crews rule out the security search area, its procedures and its staff, and keep media under escort airside, so we plan on the same (filming page).
Bristol Cathedral and Bristol Old Vic
Wolf Hall filmed in the cathedral. The Old Vic, open since 1766 and the oldest continuously running theatre in the English-speaking world, is in Poldark. Neither is council land, so we ask each one directly.
Bath Film Office
Covers Bath and North East Somerset, and describes itself as one of the longest established film offices in the country. It tells the police about every permit application, and its Code of Practice wants a letter drop at least seven days before the first day.
The Royal Crescent
Bath Preservation Trust hires out No.1 Royal Crescent, Beckford’s Tower (157 steps to the top), the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Museum of Bath Architecture, each one whole. No.1 was in Bridgerton, Persuasion (2022) and The Pursuit of Love. Filming along the whole Crescent goes through Bath Film Office.
The Roman Baths and the Guildhall
Council properties, priced on application through Bath Film Office.
09 Paperwork
What the paperwork looks like
Bristol Film Office, Bath, the bridge, the railway and the venues mostly ask for the same handful of documents. Here’s each one, who wants it and when.
RA
Everyone asks
Risk assessment
Bristol Film Office wants a full one with the application. The Mall at Cribbs Causeway asks for one with a method statement, and Network Rail wants the risk assessment 12 working days ahead for a unit of up to 50. Ours is written for the location, not the job in general.
£5m
Everyone asks
Public liability certificate
At least £5m for Bristol Film Office, the Canal & River Trust, GWR and The Mall, and up to £10m for Temple Meads. Sent with the application, in the company’s name: Bristol won’t take one in a person’s name unless they’re a sole trader.
7 days
The neighbours
Letter drop
To the homes and businesses affected, at least seven days ahead in Bristol and in Bath. Short of that, someone from the production talks to them in person. A runner usually walks it round.
MS
Nights and cables
Method statements
Bristol’s night filming guidance asks for one for anything between 22:00 and 08:00, with residents told by letter. Cables are flown 2.6m over a footway and 5.2m over a carriageway, or laid under matting.
Form
The bridge
Filming Indemnity Form
For a tripod on Clifton Suspension Bridge, signed with a Bridge Attendant on the day.
21 days
Children
Child licence
In Bath and North East Somerset, apply at least 21 days before rehearsals start. The licence comes from the child’s home council, and the producer books council-approved chaperones, at least one for every 12 children (B&NES).
Declare
On the application
What has to be declared
Drones, children, animals, weapons real or imitation, violence, special effects, rain machines, wet-downs and stunts all go on the Bristol application. Breaking the Code can bring penalty charges.
10 Drones and airspace
Drones over Bristol: who has to say yes
There’s no city-wide ban, but one flight can need four yeses: the airport inside its zone, Bristol Film Office on council land, the landowner, and the pilot’s own CAA paperwork. Near the bridge, add its trust. Checked October 2026.
| Permission | Who grants it | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Airport’s flight restriction zone | Air traffic control at the airport. The CAA’s rule for every zone: a circle of 2 or 2.5 nautical miles’ radius round the aerodrome, plus runway protection zones 1km wide and 5km long off each end of the runway, up to 2,000ft. The airport’s own page gives no dimensions, so the flight goes on the zone map before it goes on the quote | Ask early: permission can be refused on safety or security grounds |
| Council land: streets, parks, the harbourside | Bristol Film Office’s drone permit, from £245 a day and up to £465 by location, plus VAT. Professional operators only. City centre flights are considered only early on Sunday mornings | 7 days; the office aims to confirm within 5 working days |
| Taking off from the road | Not without a road closure, sub-250g drones included | 2 weeks for a closure of up to 2 days |
| Clifton Suspension Bridge | The Trust: 250g or more stays 50m away. Closer than the Drone Code needs CAA permission, through the Trust | Ask the Bridge Master early |
| Bath | Bath Film Office’s online system for film work: over 250g, a pavement, road or park sectioned off, or a Specific or Certified flight. £138 admin fee. Other commercial flights use the council’s drone form | Case by case; the council form takes at least 5 working days |
| The canals | The Canal & River Trust, through FilmApp: commercial flights £179 an hour + VAT. No recreational drones | 5 working days |
| The railway | Nobody approves it: you tell Network Rail through Dronecloud. Taking off or landing on its land is charged | Before you fly |
What Bristol Film Office wants
A risk assessment and method statement, £5m public liability, the pilot’s A2 CofC or GVC (it still accepts a PfCO) and any Operational Authorisation, the Flyer and Operator IDs, and a map of the take-off, landing, cordons and flight path. The pilot keeps the drone in sight, not on the screen.
IDs
A Flyer ID for anything of 100g or more, free and valid five years, and an Operator ID from 250g, or from 100g with a camera, at £12.34 a year. New drones on sale since 1 January 2026 carry a UK class mark, UK0 to UK6, and C-class marks count until the end of 2027.
Hobby spots aren’t film spots
Blaise Castle Estate, Dundridge Park, Hengrove Park and the Downs are where recreational pilots take off in Bristol, and Lansdown Playing Fields North is Bath’s only one. A commercial flight still needs the permit.
Most of that paperwork sits with the pilot. Here’s how we book a drone operator in Bristol.
11 On the day
The rules on the day in Bristol
From Bristol Film Office’s Code of Practice and night filming guidance, and Bath Film Office’s Code. It isn’t legal advice: check the Code before you shoot.
First aid and hi-vis
A first aider on set at all times, and hi-vis for anyone working on the highway.
Cables
Flown 2.6m over footways and 5.2m over carriageways, or laid under matting.
Generators and engines
Generators baffled or built into the vehicles, engines off on arrival, and batteries rather than generators wherever they’ll do.
Late and early
The Code’s unsociable hours are 23:00 to 08:00, and the 2026 night guidance treats 22:00 to 08:00 as night. Night shoots need Bristol Film Office and Avon and Somerset Police to agree first, and a method statement.
Residential streets at night
Filming finished and de-rigged by 23:00, unless permission is given and the consultation raises no objections. Noisy kit that can’t be moved quietly stays, under security, until 07:00, and the neighbours are offered blackout and earplugs.
Traffic
Stop/Go holds traffic for five minutes at most, with an accredited traffic management company, on seven days’ notice and at no charge. Temporary lights take seven days too. For a road closure the production provides the signs, and a traffic management company sets up the diversion.
Weapons and staged crimes
Real or imitation weapons and violence go on the application. Talk to the police before staging a crime, an accident or any firearms use, and cover police uniforms between takes. Replicas are in the props guide.
In Bath
Bath Film Office tells the police about every application, its unsociable hours are 22:00 to 08:00, and any yellow lines, pay bays or residents’ bays the shoot needs are reported to the Film Office.
Breaches
Breaking Bristol’s Code can bring penalty charges, and an unpaid invoice stops future permits.
12 Insurance
Public liability: £5m, £10m, and whose certificate it is
Every permit asks for a public liability certificate. In Bristol the figure is mostly £5m, and the railway’s is £10m. Which certificate goes in depends on who the producer of record is.
| Who’s asking | Public liability |
|---|---|
| Bristol Film Office: streets, parks, the harbourside, council buildings | £5m at least, sent with the application, in the company’s name unless it’s a sole trader |
| Bristol Film Office: drones | £5m |
| Bath Film Office | “Adequate” cover, no figure published; a copy of the certificate is required |
| Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust | No figure published; a Filming Indemnity Form for a tripod |
| Network Rail: Temple Meads | Up to £10m; at least £10m on a Small Scale Filming Agreement |
| GWR: Bath Spa, Bristol Parkway and its trains | £5m |
| The Canal & River Trust | £5m |
| The Mall at Cribbs Causeway | £5m |
| The University of Bristol, Bristol Dockyards, Bristol Beacon | No figure published: ask with the request |
Crew hire
You’re the producer of record
The certificate the venue gets
Yours. Bristol Film Office, Network Rail, GWR and the venues want your public liability, for the company named on the application.
What our insurance covers
The 2%: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot.
What it costs
10% booking fee + 2% insurance, on everything we book.
Permits
Yours to hold.
Full production
We’re the producer of record
The certificate the venue gets
Ours: our production policy, £10m public liability included, with a certificate naming the venue.
What our insurance covers
The 5%: insurance across the whole shoot, and the contingency.
What it costs
15% production fee + 5% insurance and contingency, on the production budget.
Permits
We apply in our name, and the fees go in the budget.
Not sure which it is? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote, and the Bristol crew page takes either brief. Shooting from abroad? Here’s how overseas teams book Bristol.
Need a Bristol location sorted?
Tell us where and when. We’ll come back with whose permission it needs, the notice it takes and the insurance they’ll ask for. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Quick contact form
13 Questions
Filming in Bristol: questions
Do I need a permit to film in Bristol?
On council land, yes, for any commercial shoot for broadcast or public viewing. Bristol Film Office handles the streets, parks, the harbourside, markets, museums and council buildings inside the city boundary: a street permit is £84 + VAT for up to ten crew, and parks and the harbourside £178 (checked October 2026). News filming needs no permit unless there’s a drone. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Temple Meads and private places such as the SS Great Britain give their own permission on top.
How much notice does Bristol Film Office need?
At least seven days, with a letter to neighbours and businesses seven days before the shoot. A parking suspension takes three working days, a road closure of up to two days two weeks, and a longer closure usually eight to ten weeks (checked October 2026). Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours, so it’s usually the notice period that sets the date.
How much does a filming permit cost in Bristol?
Checked October 2026, plus VAT: £84 for a street permit for up to ten crew and £163 for 11 to 40; £178 for parks, green spaces and the harbourside for up to ten; £245 to £465 a day for a drone; £600 to £820 a day for a unit base; and £721 for a road closure notice of up to two days. A parking suspension is £22 a vehicle for one day. In Bath, a street permit for up to ten crew is £90 and a park £138.
Can I film on Clifton Suspension Bridge?
Yes. The bridge belongs to the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust: handheld cameras are welcome, a tripod needs a word with a Bridge Attendant and a Filming Indemnity Form, and commercial shoots are agreed case by case with the Bridge Master, with charges on request. Drones of 250g or more must stay 50 metres away, and flying over the road needs a full road closure (checked October 2026). More in our guide to filming on the bridge.
Can I fly a drone in Bristol?
Yes, with planning. Taking off or landing on council land needs Bristol Film Office’s permit, from £245 a day, with seven days’ notice; city centre flights are considered only early on Sunday mornings, and nothing takes off from a road without a road closure, sub-250g drones included. Inside Bristol Airport’s flight restriction zone you also need air traffic control’s permission, and near Clifton Suspension Bridge the Trust’s. Checked October 2026.
Who gives permission to film in Bath?
Bath Film Office, part of Bath & North East Somerset Council. Its 2026–27 fees are £90 + VAT for street filming with up to ten crew and £138 for a park, charged when you apply and not refunded, and it tells the police about every application. Filming along the Royal Crescent goes through it; No.1 Royal Crescent and Beckford’s Tower are hired from Bath Preservation Trust. Checked October 2026.
Can I film at Bristol Temple Meads?
Yes, with Network Rail’s permission: £750 an hour + VAT for corporate and commercial work with up to ten people, two hours minimum, five working days’ notice on Temple Meads’ Small Scale Filming Agreement, weekdays 10:00–16:00 or 20:00–06:30, and up to £10m public liability. Bath Spa and Bristol Parkway are managed by GWR, which asks for its own form, a week’s notice and £5m. Checked October 2026.
Can I film on Bristol’s harbour?
Yes. City Docks and the Harbourside are council locations, so the permit is Bristol Film Office’s: £178 + VAT for up to ten crew on a small, factual or documentary shoot. Swimming in the Floating Harbour needs special permission, and anything on or in the water can cost extra. The SS Great Britain and its dockyard are the SS Great Britain Trust’s, with their own terms. Checked October 2026.
What public liability insurance do I need to film in Bristol?
Bristol Film Office, the Canal & River Trust and GWR ask at least £5m, and Network Rail up to £10m at Temple Meads. On a crew hire you’re the producer of record, so the certificate is yours. On a full production our policy covers the shoot, £10m public liability included, and the certificate names the venue.
Around the crew
More for Bristol shoots
01
Kit rental
Kit houses in Clifton and at The Bottle Yard, the crew’s own kit, and what comes down from London.
03
Studios and set builds
The Bottle Yard’s 11 stages, green screen and infinity coves across the city, and set builds.
