Top movie based on the music of Take That to be filmed in Clitheroe

A top movie based on the Take That songbook is to be filmed in Clitheroe.

The post-pandemic feelgood movie, Greatest Days, will shoot in Clitheroe and the surrounding countryside on a date to be confirmed.

And delighted Ribble Valley Borough Council bosses said the project will showcase the charm of Clitheroe and beauty of the surrounding countryside to a global audience.

The film is based on the stage musical, The Band, about a group of women who reunite after 25 years to see their favourite band.

Its film adaptation follows the success of musical movies like Mamma Mia and will feature 16 of Take That’s greatest hits, as well as new material.

Greatest Days is described as ‘a feelgood universal story of love and friendship’ and will introduce us to five schoolgirls – Rachel, Heather, Zoe, Claire and Debbie – who live in Clitheroe and have the night of their lives at a concert featuring their favourite boyband.

Twenty-five years later their lives have changed in a myriad of ways, as they reunite to reminisce about their past, including Debbie’s untimely tragic death, and discover their future.

The film will be directed by multi-BAFTA-winning Coky Giedroyc (How to Build a Girl) and written by Tim Firth (The Band, Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots), who is no stranger to Clitheroe – he holidayed in the town as a child and has fond memories of the area.

Greatest Days will be shot at numerous locations across the town and the surrounding countryside, with a big song and dance number at Clitheroe Castle.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson said: “We are delighted that Greatest Days is to be filmed in Clitheroe.

“The last two years have been the most challenging the borough has ever faced and this film is just the tonic we need as we move into the post-pandemic period.

“Greatest Days will showcase the delights and beauty of our borough to a global audience and we are looking forward to giving the film’s cast and crew a warm Ribble Valley welcome.”

Official statistics have revealed that film and TV production spend hit new UK records of £5.64billion in 2021.

Jonny Shelton, production liaison manager for national screen agency Filming in England, added: “The UK’s screen industries have bounced back faster than any other industry post-pandemic and we are seeing a truly unprecedented demand for content.

“This content boom is providing unsurpassed opportunity and the English regions are at the forefront of it.

“It is our aim as the national screen agency to maximise and support the production of feature film and high-end TV in the regions to ensure the economic benefits are felt across the UK.

“We are always on the lookout for unique locations and Clitheroe certainly fits the bill for this feelgood movie that will bring the town’s charm to a global audience.

“It has been a delight working with Ribble Valley Borough Council staff to support this prestigious project.”

The film’s all-star cast and precise filming dates are expected to be announced shortly.