Belfast TV and Film

Of course, one of the TV series most associated with Belfast is HBO’s hit drama Game of Thrones. Over its ten years in production much of the show was filmed in Northern Ireland, either at the Titanic Studios in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter or in various filming locations across the province. From the iconic Dark Hedges appearing as the King’s Road to the heritage-soaked Castle Ward that portrays Winterfell, our rural landscapes and historic landmarks were the stars of the screen. Watch (or re-watch!) all eight seasons on Now TV and see how many of the Northern Ireland film locations you can spot.

ITV’s Marcella sees Anna Friel play the title role as an undercover detective in Belfast. Season three features a number of recognisable locations, with filming taking place in Belfast city centre, St Anne’s Square, Belfast City Hall, Stormont Hotel, Harland and Wolff shipyard and Larchfield Estate outside Lisburn.

Based on the internationally bestselling Dublin Murder Squad novels by Tana French, BBC crime drama Dublin Murders follows the investigations of detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox. The show’s first season was filmed in a few locations in Belfast and Northern Ireland, including Crumlin Road Gaol, Gasworks Business Park and Cromac Street car park, as well as Tollymore Forest Park in County Down. Dublin Murders aired on BBC One and though it’s no longer available on iPlayer, you can stream it on Amazon Prime

Disney’s Artemis Fowl, released exclusively on Disney+ in June 2020, was filmed at the North Antrim coast for two weeks during the summer of 2018. Look out for Dunluce Castle, Whiterocks Beach and Portrush. The film, which is based on Eoin Colfer’s best-selling young adult book of the same name, stars Colin Farrell, Dame Judi Dench and Josh Gad, and was directed by Northern Irish actor, director and producer Sir Kenneth Branagh.

This feature film tells the story of Terri Hooley, a music-loving radical in 1970s Belfast. While the Troubles unfold around him, Terri opens a record shop on the most bombed half-mile in Europe and calls it Good Vibrations. He soon becomes the leader of a band of kids and punks on a mission to create a new community among the conflict. The Oh Yeah Music Centre and Queen’s University were just a couple of the many filming locations in the city used to create this distinctively Belfast story.

Though set in Derry~Londonderry, Channel 4’s hit comedy series Derry Girls came to a number of locations in Belfast during filming, including Longs Fish Restaurant, Smithfield Market and St Marys University in season one, and the Strand Cinema in season two. Created and written by Lisa McGee, Derry Girls follows Erin and her friends as they navigate their teenage lives in Derry during the 1990s. Watch it now on All 4.

Though it wasn’t filmed in Belfast, the 1997 Titanic movie tells the story of the world’s most famous ship, which was designed, built and launched from Belfast in 1912. Were Jack and Rose real passengers on the ship? Did the Grand Staircase really look like that? Take Titanic Belfast’s movie quiz to see how much you know about what’s fact and what’s fiction.