Z Cars

[fintytin]

Yeh another Z Cars question-sorry



Anyone know where it was filmed ?-i know it was set near Kirkby but being a beeb production i was thinking London or maybe Manchester ??

[Automotivehistorian]

The originalZephyr Mk 2 and later Zephyr Six Mk 3 cars were in fact painted yellow pre-colour TV days so as to appear white for filming. Special part-bodies with no fronts and minus windscreen glass were supplied by Fords for studio shots. But where was the studio? London?

[earlb]

Location for some episodes were in Hemel Hempstead.

[alan gowdy]

I once worked with a guy who'd worked on Z-cars - I think it was as a floor manager. He said the interiors were shot in Manchester. I presume that included the back-projection.

[alan gowdy]

Mind you - I have it from another source that they used the Riverside studio in Hammersmith!

[alan french]

Hi.

I back up earlB. There was a scene shot in what we call Bank Court, in Hemel Hempstead. There was also, in a spin off series, another locality in this area, was used as a police station or headquarters. This was a place called at the time, Shendish House. There was also an embarrassing situation that arose when Stratford Johns aka Inspector Barlow was invited to a dinner by the then Hemel Hempstead Operatic and Amateur Dramatic Society. But not being a member, I shall not say what happened on this website.



I also know that Southend was used when the Newtown Police had cause to visit Blackpool. A pub called The Halfway House, between London and Southend was also used in the same episode.



A little while back someone was going to write a book about the series. They contacted our local press for anyone who had information. Some readers did respond, including me, a friend of earlB's and a former local reporter. The website is Hemelhempstead Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments & More



There are also websites relating to this series, including one by the bbc which can give you more information.



Oddly enough, in the locality of Bank Court a famous bank robbery did take place many years later, when a gang decided to rob a bank. Inside the bank was an off duty policeman, who decided to tackle the gang. Tragically he was shot dead. There is a memorial nearby to honour PC Mason.

[leyther8008]

The originalZephyr Mk 2 and later Zephyr Six Mk 3 cars were in fact painted yellow pre-colour TV days so as to appear white for filming. Special part-bodies with no fronts and minus windscreen glass were supplied by Fords for studio shots. But where was the studio? London

Didnt Brian Blessed famously reach through the windscreen to answer a call on the radio in one episode.

[mariocki]

He said in a documenatry a couple of years back that in a scene they were standing beside the car talking and before they walked away, he reached through the front 'windscreen' to retrieve his hat from the dashboard.

[Automotivehistorian]

There are Ford stills around of the body shell with two actors in it.

[harryfielder]

I worked on a few episodes of this and always at the BBC Centre....(many years ago)



Aitch,

[eric1]

the final series made around 1977/78 the police station set was a disused warehouse in victoria road ,ruislip,middx the police sign was left on the door for years after until the warehouse was demolished! a lot of the locations in this series were in ruislip and harrow i remember somerville road ,south harrow in one episode

[eric1]

the final series made around 1977/78 the police station set was a disused warehouse in victoria road ,ruislip,middx the police sign was left on the door for years after until the warehouse was demolished! a lot of the locations in this series were in ruislip and harrow i remember somerville road ,south harrow in one episode

ther exact location of the police station was on the corner of victoria road and stonefield way ,opposite queens walk ,south ruislip a retail park now occupies the site

[bobsterkent]

In the programme 'tales from television centre' it mentions the cut off front of the Ford and that it was in TVC...

[Rick C]

http://www.mirrorpix.com/webgate/pre...IMGID=00001250

[pitchfork]

I remember the spin off was called Softly Softly and also featured Frank Windsor.I think the team was a sort of regional crime squad but they covered a wide brief. I remember an episode called possibly Major Incident when an HGV brakes failed on a hill causing it to collide with another HGV and I think hit a school building.
I dont remember where it was supposed to be set and always wondered where they filmed it.
Re: Z Cars I believe some early editions went out live.

[Cooper S]

Not entirely certain, but I believe Softly Softly may have been filmed in Bristol.

[wadey]

From a private Group "November 1962.BBC TV crews on Location at Lindle Crescent, Hutton (Near Preston) whilst filming an episode of 'Z Cars' at Headquarters (Lancashire Constabulary) This was entitled the 'THE SEARCH' and was televised on Boxing Day.
PC's 'Jock' Weir and 'Fancy' Smith patrolled the area for several hours whilst filming was in progress. Several of the children from the Crescent appeared as extras."