STARS graced Oxfordshire with their presence this week when film crews descended on the county.

Actress Elizabeth Hurley was seen on the set of upcoming E! Entertainment drama The Royals at Blenheim Palace on Tuesday.

And Little Britain comedian David Walliams and Call The Midwife actress Jessica Raine were spotted at Didcot Railway Centre yesterday.

Oxford Mail:

David Walliams and Jessica Raine as Tommy and Tuppence in the new Agatha Christie shoot

They were filming the upcoming six-part TV series of Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime for BBC One which is expected to finish today.

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They are just the latest productions to be filmed in the county, which has long been a star of the big and the small screen.

Harry Potter, Miss Marple, Morse, Lewis and Downton Abbey have featured the county’s beauty.

Giles Ingram, chief executive of Experience Oxfordshire, the county’s culture and tourism development agency, said filming is a great value to Oxfordshire.

He said: “I couldn’t possibly put a figure on it.

“But what is clear is that more and more people want to see the sites of their favourite film and TV shows.

“Oxfordshire is popular with people from around the world, especially the US and China, and we expect that to continue.”

The company is currently working with tour operators who want to visit filming sites used in Bampton for Downton Abbey and Christ Church in Harry Potter, which were the most popular attractions.

The historic city college doubled as the great hall for Hogwarts, the wizards’ school made famous in the Harry Potter movies.

Mr Ingram said that research was being carried out to find out how much Oxfordshire benefited financially from screen tourism.

The company is working with not-for-profit organisation Creative England which approached Experience Oxfordshire.

Mr Ingram said: “We want to get a better understanding of the value market, and hopefully that can help us with our marketing.”

The two organisations will soon be putting out questionnaires for members of the public to answer.

Last month zombies invaded Banbury for the filming of horror movie Apocalypse.

In May scenes from the latest ITV series of Endeavour, the Inspector Morse spin-off, were filmed in Oxford.

And the cast of Downton Abbey were back in Bampton in April to film series five of the period drama.


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