Visitors to Hitchin’s town centre yesterday may have been surprised to see the words ‘human picked produce’ emblazoned across one of the Market Place shop fronts – but the cameras will have helped end any confusion.
The team behind Channel 4 sci-fi drama series Humans – set in a world in which we live alongside robots called ‘synths’ – followed in the footsteps of BBC hit Doctor Foster by shooting in the town square.
Production company Kudos dressed Hitchin up as ‘Waltringham’ for what was billed as a “remembrance scene”, with flowers piled by the clock in the middle of Market Place.
As part of the filming, Halsey’s Deli was disguised as Waltringham Fruit and Veg – whose windows bore the words ‘human picked produce’ in large letters, and a smaller notice with the slogan ‘no more synths’.
The filming affected traffic throughout the day. Kudos wrote to neighbours to explain and apologise for any inconvenience.
Humans’ cast features Game of Thrones regular Will Tudor, Colin Morgan – best known for playing the title character in BBC fantasy series Merlin – and Gemma Chan, who has previously appeared in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Fresh Meat.
Town centre manager Keith Hoskins said: “Once again, Hitchin is profiled to the wider world with the visit of the film crew for the Channel 4 series Humans, who were on location in town on Monday.
“Hitchin can only benefit from the exposure – think of the numbers that have visited Heartbeat country, the Last of the Summer Wine town or ‘Downton Abbey’!
“Doctor Foster, Humans – what next?”
Councillor David Levett, responsible for enterprise at North Hertfordshire District Council, added: “We are really excited that the producers of Humans 3 have decided to use Hitchin for some of their filming.
“North Hertfordshire has played host to some fantastic film and TV series in recent years, including The World’s End and a recent Boots advert in Letchworth, the BBC series Doctor Foster in Hitchin, and several productions at Knebworth House.
“We are keen to promote the district as a great location for filming and to encourage the development of creative industries, and this is a key part of our economic development strategy.”
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