Saltaire: Film crews and actors seen in a historic village

Film crews and actors including Ralph Fiennes and Jim Broadbent shoot scenes for a new movie in a Yorkshire village.

Saltaire, near Bradford, was transformed for the filming of The Choral, a period BBC production written by Leeds author Alan Bennett.

The Unesco World Heritage site replaces the fictional “Ramsden” in the film, which takes place in 1916.

The production, directed by Nicholas Hytner, also stars Sir Simon Russell Beale.

It tells the story of a community that lost its male choristers to the First World War.

Instead, the choir director recruits teenagers, who discover the joys of singing in the face of the impending conscription of boys into the armed forces.

One resident said the village was “seeing” on Monday morning.

Several storefronts in Victoria Road were given a makeover for filming, with one renamed Ramsden Post Office.

A synopsis by BBC Film, the BBC’s feature production arm, said The Choral “explores the humor and humanity at the heart of a community facing an uncertain future”.

Saltaire was built by industrialist Sir Titus Salt for workers at his textile mill in the 19th century.

It has been used as a filming location for several other productions, including the Netflix period drama The English Game and the Agatha Christie adaptation The ABC Murders.

Leeds-born playwright Bennett’s other work includes The History Boys.

A release date for the film is not yet known.