Greater Manchester has become a true film and TV hub in the past few years, with plenty of productions being filmed in our area. Much of that filming, though, has been concentrated in what has been nicknamed the ‘Hollywood of the North‘, the town of Bolton − and now audiences are noticing that the town was actually used as a backdrop in much of the new TV drama A Gentleman in Moscow.
The production team chose several locations across northern England to represent the Russian capital, and one of those locations was none other than Bolton. Filming began in Victoria Square outside Bolton Town Hall on 27 February 2023, returning again in March and April, with the Town Hall itself appearing a handful of times throughout the show’s first episode.
Spring 2023 saw Ewan McGregor come to town for the filming, against the grand backdrop of Bolton Town Hall, with snow machines used, and of course only the filming of Peaky Blinders a few years ago attracted more attention from the press.
Based on a 2016 novel by Amor Towles and set at the time of the Russian Revolution, around 100 years ago, A Gentleman in Moscow follows the fictional Count Alexander Rostov (McGregor) after he is spared execution, but sent to the Hotel Metropol on house arrest.
The Metropol is a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin, so you can understand the surprise that many have had when realising much of the show was filmed in Bolton town centre − perhaps also concerning that Bolton could pass for Stalin era Moscow…
Count Rostov has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Many outdoor shots of the Metropol were created in Bolton’s town square, town hall and much-utilised Le Mans Crescent, with many interior shots being created in a Manchester’s Space Studios.
So, you could say that this Russian tale was actually a very Boltonian affair, and A Gentleman in Moscow continues to push Bolton as one of the top filming locations not only in the North West, but the country. Expect drama, quality and whole load of pointing at the telly when you recognise the background!
📺 A Gentleman in Moscow is streaming now on Paramount+