A RECENT bonanza of high-profile TV and film activity in the Yorkshire coast area is expected to boost visitor numbers, say tourism chiefs.

The region has seen unprecedented levels of filming over the past year, from gardening, motoring programmes and TV dramas to films with internationally-known stars.

A big-screen version of Dad’s Army starring Toby Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bill Nighy, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Mark Gatiss, and the original Private Pike, Ian Lavender, in a cameo role, is currently filming in the Scarborough area, with the town’s college hosting the production office, and cast and crew staying in local hotels.

Filming is also expected to take place around the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, in Pickering.

Also due out in cinemas next year is the feature film Hunter’s Prayer, helmed by Terminator 3 director Jonathan Mostow and starring Australian actor Sam Worthington, star of Avatar and the acclaimed thriller Man on a Ledge.

The coastal scenes were filmed in Scarborough and near Flamborough.

Meanwhile, on the small screen, Remember Me, which marks Michael Palin’s return to acting after more than 20 years, was partly filmed in Scarborough earlier this year. The programme is currently airing on BBC One at 9pm on Sundays.

Filming is taking place in Scarborough at the moment for the third series of the Kay Mellor drama The Syndicate, which looks at the changed lives of Lottery winners.

Anthony Andrews, Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited, plays Lord Hazelwood, owner of the fictional Hazelwood Manor, near Scarborough, with Lenny Henry as his gardener, Godfrey.

The Syndicate 3 is due to be aired on BBC One next year.

Further up the coast, Uncle Jack, played by Bernard Cribbins, and his faithful dog, Salty, returned to Staithes in September to film a new series of CBeebies favourite Old Jack’s Boat.

The filming bonanza has also included a host of factual programmes, including Glorious Gardens from the Air, in which presenter Christine Walkden looked extensively at the spectacular Piet Oudolf-designed walled gardens of Scampston Hall, near Malton, describing them as “among the most talked-about in Europe”.

Scarborough Museums Trust also featured on the BBC’s flagship magazine programme, The One Show, when presenter Gyles Brandreth visited the Scarborough Collections to look at items from the tunny fishing boom of the 1930s.

Councillor David Chance, Scarborough Borough Council’s portfolio holder for tourism and culture, said: “We’re experiencing a huge amount of interest in the area as a location for filming of all types.

“It will all show off, both nationally and internationally, the fabulous land and seascapes of the area.”

Janet Deacon, North Yorkshire area director for Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Films and TV programmes being made around here provide a huge economic boost to the area, not just through the positive publicity that results, but also through the crews and actors staying here. We’re delighted that our beautiful region is being recognised so much at the moment.”