YESTERDAY, Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise was spotted landing in Yorkshire in a helicopter for filming in the latest instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise.

Seeing megastars such as Cruise, who has starred in some of the biggest films of the past 40 years, is a bit of a rarity in Yorkshire.

However over the years Bradford has played host to a number of stars as filming descended on the district, which has been used as a backdrop for some extremely successful films.

Here we’re going to take a look at some of the major films and famous A-Listers who have come to Bradford during filming.

The King’s Speech – starring Colin Firth & Helena Bonham Carter

This Oscar-winning, $427 million grossing blockbuster opens with King George VI (played by Firth) struggling with his stammer while giving a speech at Wembley Stadium during the 1925 Empire Exhibition.

However, with the old Wembley Stadium having been demolished in 2002, other stadiums were required to stand in as its replacement.

One of these grounds was the historic Odsal Stadium, which was used for the opening scene along with Elland Road in Leeds to recreate the old seating and pitch ringed by a track.

The Duke (upcoming) – starring Dame Helen Mirren & Jim Broadbent

Filming for The Duke, which is due to be released later this year, took place at City Hall early last year, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

The film focuses on disabled pensioner Kempton Bunton who stole a famous painting of the Duke of Wellington in 1961, and used the theft to demand better support from Government for the elderly.

Dame Helen has won the Triple Crown of Acting in both the UK (Bafta Film, Bafta TV, Olivier Award) and the US (Oscars, Emmys, Tonys), including an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, and has appeared in numerous acclaimed productions on stage and screen.

Jim Broadbent is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Bafta winning actor and is perhaps best known for portraying Professor Slughorn in the Harry Potter film series.

Downton Abbey – starring Hugh Bonneville & Dame Maggie Smith

Released off the back of the highly-successful TV series, the Downton Abbey film was released in 2019, grossing $194m. It focused on a royal visit to the family’s country home in the Yorkshire countryside.

Some scenes of the film were shot in Little Germany, where the old buildings and cobbled streets provided the perfect backdrop to depict England in 1927.

A sequel, due for release this coming winter, has also been filmed in Bradford, again returning to Little Germany for filming.

Monty Python’s Meaning of Life – starring John Cleese, Sir Michael Palin & Eric Idle

The Pythons’ final film was an eclectic collection of sketches exploring life from conception to death and beyond, and Bradford is featured in the film’s opening musical number ‘Every Sperm is Sacred’.

A line of mothers with prams take up the song midway through, and they are lined up in Lister Park, Manningham, outside Cartwright Hall, as well as performing a dance routine with male counterparts.

Later in the number a group of nuns continue the tune, and this part of the song was filmed at East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley.

The filmed picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Original Song at the Baftas for ‘Every Sperm is Sacred’.

A British institution, the Pythons are some of Britain’s most iconic comic actors and writers and went on to produce and star a host of hit productions including Fawlty Towers (Cleese), Spamalot (Idle), A Fish Called Wanda (Cleese and Palin).

Yanks – starring Richard Gere & Vanessa Redgrave

The 1979 wartime drama featuring American forces posted in Northern England, the Bradford district played host to the films closing scene as the troops board a train to head to war and the town’s people see them off.

This scene was filmed at Keighley railway station on the line belonging to Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which has been used for countless productions due to its carefully preserved carriages and platform.

It starred Hollywood leading man Gere, who also starred in Pretty Woman and American Gigolo, and British acting royalty Vanessa Redgrave, lauded as the ‘greatest actress of our time’ by Tennessee Williams, who has starred in countless acclaimed productions in a career spanning seven decades.

Room at the Top – starring Laurence Harvey, Simone Signoret & Hermione Baddeley

This 1959 film was critically acclaimed and was nominated for six Oscars including Best Film and Best Director, winning two for Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.

It told the tale of an ambitious young man from humble beginnings and his pursuit of love with the richest man in town’s daughter and also a married woman, and the trials and tribulations this brings up.

Filming of Room at the Top centred around Halifax but scenes also took place in Bradford, with scenes shot at the Boy and Barrel pub in the city centre, as week as in Ivegate, Kirkgate, Westgate, City Hall and St George’s Hall.

Harvey also starred in The Manchurian Candidate and The Alamo before his life was cut short by cancer aged 45. French actress Signoret starred in many films in her home country and also won numerous awards during her career.

Baddeley was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Room at the Top despite only being on screen for less than three minutes. She is best known for her role as Ellen the maid in Mary Poppins and also voiced Madame Bonfamille in The Aristocats.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint

During the penultimate film in the Harry Potter series, after busting out of Gringotts Bank atop a dragon, Harry Ron and Hemione go to ground at Malham Cove in Crave.

They are seen camping on top of the iconic limestone pavement at the top of the cove, which provides stunning views across the county.

One of the most successful movie franchises of all time, it made global stars of Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, who have all gone on to star in more films but will always be best known for their portrayal of the magical friends.

The Railway Children - starring Jenny Agutter & Bernard Cribbins

Filmed almost exclusively in Keighley and the Worth Valley, the Railway Children told the story of a wealthy family who move from London to Yorkshire after losing their wealth, and the children find enjoyment in watching trains pass by while life unfolds around them.

It was a success on release and has enjoyed enduring success over the years, and was nominated for three Baftas, and regularly appears in lists of top British films.

Filming locations included the Oakworth station of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the family home in Oxenhope, Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth was used as Doctor Forrest’s surgery, and Mytholmes Tunnel in Haworth.

It starred a young Jenny Agutter, who has gone on to achieve a successful career in film, appearing in Walkabout, An American Werewolf in London, The Eagle Has Landed, and has also featured in Marvel’s Avengers film franchise.

Bernard Cribbins also featured in the film; an iconic face in British film and TV for almost 80 years. He featured as a companion for two separate Doctors in Dr Who, 41 years apart, narrated The Wombles, regularly appeared on Jackanory and also featured in a number of Carry On films.