Director Guy Ritchie’s highly anticipated new Prime Video series Young Sherlock starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After series), launches worldwide on 4th March, and Bristol locations have played a crucial role in bringing the action-packed mystery to screen.
The eight-part blockbuster series was part-filmed on location across Bristol for five months between September 2024 and January 2025, supported by the city’s Film Office. Bristol doubles as 1870’s Oxford in the series, which charts the origin story of the world’s greatest detective, as he’s drawn into his first-ever murder case at Oxford University.
An extensive shoot saw Bristol’s streets go back in time, with Broad Street serving as a primary location, transformed into a bustling period street adorned with 19th century shopfronts for an assortment of traders including florists, butchers, barbers, taxidermists and printers. Small Street, All Saints Lane and Corn Street near St Nicholas Markets, Portland Square, Queen Square and Frog Lane were all similarly dressed.
Tarmac was overlaid with mud for authenticity, and horses and carriages lined the streets between takes. Other period touches included tram stops, vintage lampposts, newspaper sellers, market stalls and carts. Upwards of 110 cast and crew worked on location sets per day, with some scenes featuring up to90 supporting artists in full costume at a time. On the busiest days, caterers served more than 300 cast, crew and supporting artists combined.
Interiors and exteriors of The Georgian House Museum on Great George Street were used for the Oxford House of one of the lead characters, and Bristol Cathedral and Choir School doubled for the exteriors of an Oxford Concert Hall.
Young Sherlock filming on Broad Street in Bristol’s Old City
Another prominent location was Underfall Yard and the adjacent docks in the heart of Bristol’s floating harbour, which hosted filming for two major stunt scenes. The historic boatyard, which has been fundraising since 2023 to complete recovery and reinstatement works following a devastating arson attack, was connected to the production team by Bristol Film Office, and income brought in by filming has made a significant contribution to the site’s reconstruction.
In one Underfall Yard scene, two characters follow one of Young Sherlock’s protagonists down an alley and into an old iron works (the Blacksmith’s workshop) where he ambushes them, and a hand-to hand duel till the death breaks out.
In another scene, Young Sherlock’s heroes ‘do a runner’ from the police who are in hot pursuit. They spot a cattle pen, bolt through the gate, releasing the cattle who then stampede, scattering the police in all directions, allowing the heroes to escape safely.
Deon Du Preez, Supervising Location Manager, says: “Bristol played a crucial role in creating Young Sherlock’s world. Historic Old City areas around St Nicholas Market, Broad Street, Corn Street and All Saints Lane require very little period set dressing to recreate a 19th century London setting – whilst being just as capable of doubling for a contemporary London environment. Bristol is well equipped to accommodate large-scale film and television productions, with well-established infrastructure capable of supporting multiple shoots simultaneously across the city. This architectural versatility combined with the comprehensive support productions receive from the Bristol Film Office and local authority partners makes Bristol an attractive location destination for filmmakers.”
Adela Straughan, Bristol Film Office Manager says: “Bristol really rose to the challenge for Young Sherlock, and the benefits of filming reach far beyond the direct spend of the production at the time of the shoot. Shows like Young Sherlock inspire people to get out and discover the locations they’ve seen on screen, whether it’s a walk through the Old City’s streets combined with a visit to St Nicholas Markets, or a stroll around the harbour to stop in at Underfall Yard and appreciate its preserved Victorian surroundings whilst grabbing coffee or a bite to eat in the café. Increased footfall from screen tourism benefits local traders, hospitality venues and heritage sites and visitor destinations, strengthening Bristol’s economy and its reputation as a vibrant destination for both filming and tourism.”
Sarah Murray, Director of Underfall Yard, says: “Hosting Young Sherlock was a resoundingly positive experience for us, primarily because our lost income stream for the year was almost directly replaced by income from filming hire. Not only that, it was really fun for the team! Witnessing the Yard dressed to look completely different, with horses and cows brought in, was really exciting and gave a rare insight into the creativity that goes on behind-the-scenes. Walking onto a film set every day, seeing things most people don’t get to see, like getting to watch while the special effects were tested, made for an eye-opening experience.
“Hosting the shoot brought other benefits too, from practical measures like 24-hour site security, to added exposure which is invaluable when running a heritage site like this. We were able to share the Yard’s story with hundreds of people working here each day across different departments, many of whom hadn’t visited before. We’re grateful to the incredible Location Managers who were closely connected with residents nearby and made every effort to minimise disruption, even making a donation to the local community group.
“Becoming a filming location is quite a whirlwind – the film company turns up and within days have completely transformed your surroundings, but by the time they leave, everything has been put back to how it was. It made us realise how well placed we are to host this type of spectacular shoot, and we’re excited to explore the screen tourism potential of being an official Young Sherlock location now the show is being released.”
About Young Sherlock
With all the wit and charm of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes features, Young Sherlock is an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character.
When a charismatic, youthfully defiant Sherlock Holmes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) meets none other than James Moriarty (Dónal Finn), he finds himself dragged into a murder investigation at Oxford University that threatens his liberty. Sherlock’s first ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy, leading to an explosive showdown that alters the course of his life forever. Unfolding in a vibrant Victorian England and adventuring abroad, the series will expose the early antics of the anarchic adolescent who is yet to evolve into Baker Street’s most renowned resident.
Other cast includes Zine Tseng (3 Body Problem), Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale), Natascha McElhone (Halo), Max Irons (Condor) and Colin Firth (The King’s Speech). Guy Ritchie directs the first two episodes and executive produces.
Young Sherlock is created for television and executive produced by showrunner Matthew Parkhill with executive producers Dhana Rivera Gilbert, Marc Resteghini, Simon Maxwell, Ivan Atkinson, Simon Kelton, Colin Wilson, and co-executive producers Harriet Creelman and Steve Thompson. Motive Pictures led physical production for Young Sherlock.
In addition to Bristol, South West filming also took place in nearby Somerset with Film Office support. Production was based in Wales and locations further afield included Oxford, London and Spain.
Young Sherlock begins on Prime Video on 4th March 2026.