Chesham Nostalgia - When the town appeared on the television

1950s

In 1956, BBC’s Sunday Night Theatre featured the four-part Makepeace Story, about a family of Lancashire cotton spinners. Outdoor scenes were filmed in Amy Lane, Church Street, Pednor Road and The Bury (which became Radclyffe Hall) in Chesham in early October 1955.

In 1956, Cyril Brunt landlord of The Swan pub at Ley Hill featured on Away From It All, which sought to find out what life was like in quiet British backwaters.

1960s

In August 1966 Roger Moore turned up at Ley Hill to film an episode of The Saint. Marlyn Cottage in Blackwell Hall Lane, stood in for a cottage in Ireland, and in the programme The Saint is seen driving around local lanes around Ley Hill. It was filmed twice: once in black-and-white and once in colour, and aired on June 18, 1967. In early August 1969 the same cottage was used again in the programme U.F.O. as the home of Commander Ed Straker, which aired on October 14, 1970.

1970s

BBC 1’s first colour drama series was Take Three Girls, which aired 1969-71. On March 1, 1971 an episode was filmed at Bellingdon and involved the football team.

In 1972, the comedy My Wife Next Door told the story of a divorcing couple, played by John Alderton and Hannah Gordon, who each decide to start afresh by moving to the country, only to find that they are living in adjacent houses, at Swan Bottom near Chesham. The show reran in 1980.

In 1974, Blue Peter filmed at Chenies Manor, when John Noakes was lowered down into the well to see what he could find in its murky depths. This earnt a brief mention in the Blue Peter 12th book.

BBC’s Striker ran from 1975-76. This children’s programme revolved around Ben Dyker, the star forward of Brenton youth team. In September 1976, Striker filmed at Chesham football meadow and featured Chesham Girls’ Brigade band.

BBC’s Everyman investigated religious, moral and ethical issues. One show on June 12, 1977 was called The Marriage Paradox. It interviewed couples about to get married, to see how seriously they took their wedding vows. Amongst them was Robert Russell and Jacky Norwood of Chesham.

In 1978, two episodes of The Professionals were filmed locally. In January, CI5 visit the Eighteen Twelve snooker club on Station Road in Chesham; and in February, CI5 visited Hundridge Manor.

On December 5, 1979 Keith ‘Cheggars’ Chegwin and the Multicoloured Swap Shop came to Lowndes Park, Chesham when hundreds of local children turned up. The BBC Outside Broadcast unit came that day because they had come to film Chesham Utd play Cambridge in the 3rd round of the FA Cup that afternoon. Many local people still remember meeting Keith Chegwin.

1980s

In 1980, ITV’s Hammer House of Horror filmed at Chesham three times. One episode featured Pierce Brosnan in Chesham Park filmed on August 15, 1980, another at Chesham Cottage Hospital, and another at a shop in Broad Street. They also filmed at Ashley Green, Chesham Bois, Amersham and Little Chalfont.

On July 15, 1985 weatherman Francis Wilson, who grew up in Patterson Road, Chesham, appeared on an episode of BBC’s Favourite Walks, when he walked from Waterside, Chesham via Tylers Hill to Ley Hill. It was shown again in 1990.

Tony Harman from Grove Farm, Orchard Leigh near Chesham, wrote a book called Seventy Summers about his farming life. In 1986, this was made into a 5-part BBC2 series, filmed at Orchard Leigh, Whelpley Hill, Ashley Green and Ley Hill.

1990s

In October 1992, Inspector Morse turned up at St Mary’s Church and The Rectory in Chesham, to meet Canon Humphrey Appleton, acted by Richard Griffiths. Lenny Henry’s series Chef ran from 1993-96, and was partly filmed at The Bury in Chesham. In 1998, Goodnight Mr Tom was set in wartime, and was filmed at Turville, but also around Church Street, Chesham and Pednor.

Since 1997, Midsomer Murders has filmed mainly in the Chilterns, (renamed as Midsomer county). Inspector Barnaby has come to Chesham (renamed as Causton) many times, along with filming at Ballinger, Chenies, Cholesbury, Flaunden, Hyde Heath, The Lee, Lee Gate, Pednor and Sarratt.

In September 1998, Dawn French turned up in Chesham to film BBC2’s Murder Most Horrid. They filmed at St Mary’s Church, in Lowndes Park, and at a premises in Church Street which was transformed into a 1940s-style butcher’s shop.

In 1999, one of Channel 4’s Grand Designs first projects was the water-tower at Coleshill near Amersham, and in 2002 the show featured a house at Hyde Heath.

2000s

In 2000, CBBC’s ChuckleVision filmed an episode in Chesham High Street where they eat hot dogs. In 2001, Alan Titchmarsh’s Groundforce came to the Willow Care Home in Chartridge Lane, Chesham. In 2003, How Clean is Your House helped out a Chesham family. In 2004, two Advent services were filmed at St Mary’s Church in Chesham and many local people can be seen in the congregation. Channel 4’s Time Team did archaeological digs locally: at Chenies Manor, shown in January 2005; and at Chesham Bois, shown in 2007. In 2009, CBeebies’s Nuzzle and Scratch had an episode called Toy Shop filmed in Chesham High Street; and also in 2009, CBBC’s Scoop had an episode filmed in Chesham.

2010s

In 2011, the first episode of Black Mirror was briefly filmed in Chesham High Street, at the Chesham campus of Amersham and Wycombe College, and in the Vale. In 2013, Car S.O.S. restored a Fiat Spider 850 Sport which was presented to the owner at the annual Ley Hill Classic Car Show. In October 2014, two episodes of Antiques Roadshow were shown from Chenies Manor. Dr Foster aired from 2015-17. Parminster Medical Centre where Dr Gemma Foster had her practice, was the Chess Medical Centre in Berkhampstead Road, Chesham. In 2016, Chesham High Street featured in a Christmas Special of Birds of a Feather.

Most recently...

Since 2015 Taskmaster has often been filmed in Chesham, because the presenter Alex Horne lives locally. In September 2020, Chesham was featured twice: Charlie Dimmock’s Garden Rescue helped a hilly garden in Chesham, which aired on September 10; and when BBC’s Repair Shop had a fire-damaged silver dressing-table vanity set, they called in the help of Alistair Russell and Gail Gomm from R. Russell Brush Manufacturer of Chesham, which aired on September 25.

Please let me know anything I missed on nwrees@gmail.com! Chesham has also been on radio, film and the news, but these are future articles...