Whilst we all focus on delivering vitally needed homes at Barking Riverside, as well as progressing our important placemaking and community workstreams, it’s easy to forget that Barking Riverside is also the backdrop for exciting filming projects in the UK.

Recently, Barking Riverside has seen itself on both the small and big screen as it featured in BBC drama ‘The Gold’, starring Dominic Cooper, and crime thriller film ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’, starring Idris Elba.
Location-wise, Barking Riverside can draw on its varied and unique landscape and assets as key attractors for filming companies. With a distinctive 2km stretch of river front, rich heritage tied to the former Barking Power Station, plus the backdrop of a busy construction site and growing new community, Barking Riverside is firmly establishing itself as a film location of choice.
Barking Riverside is also able to offer open spaces that can host busy filmsets and crew trailers, all within easy access of the amenities and accommodation of central London via our transport links.
Other filming projects that have taken place at Barking Riverside include: Ed Sheeran’s music video for ‘Lego House’ (2011), which featured the magical Rupert Grint; Eastenders (2019), which included Louise Mitchell locked in a shipping container; Gangs of London (2020), where a nightclub scene was filmed; and The Batman (2022), in which Robert Pattinson can be seen in the Switch Building as the caped crusader.

The wider Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) is quickly emerging as a new hot spot for the filming industry, with two major studios, Eastbrook and The Wharf, under construction. As part of this future vision, LBBD are actively encouraging young people to consider careers in this industry through apprenticeships and training schemes.

For more information on the filming locations on offer at Barking Riverside, please visit ‘Film Barking & Dagenham’.