Peterborough railway in 80s Bond movie wants more screen roles
The chairman of a heritage railway that featured in a 1980s Bond movie has said more filming would be "terrific".Peterborough's Nene Valley Railway (NVR) - which is facing "unprecedented financial pressures" - has featured in 150 commercials, TV programmes and films, including Octopussy, which starred Roger Moore as Bond.Now the city council has announced plans for a film office to promote the area as a TV and movie location, and NVR will feature in a promotional video."Octopussy as a feature film, back in the 1980s - the income from that was immense," said NVR's Michael Purcell.
"They would build steps and things, which they left behind and [that would] help us. "It is a good source of income. Our volunteers get involved and it's good fun when it happens."Mr Purcell added more filming would be "terrific" and NVR was "very eager to be part of [it]".NVR also featured in the 1984 spoof spy movie, Top Secret, with Val Kilmer, and The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (1985), a World War Two action film.Scenes in the soap Eastenders and TV crime drama Silent Witness have also been filmed on the platforms.
The council has said it hoped the film office would capitalise on a growing market for movie creation outside London.As well as NVR, the city's lido, embankment and Central Park are thought to be promising filming locations.
In May 2024, NVR appealed for funds, setting a target of £300,000. So far, £87,000 has been donated.NVR's electricity costs have been reduced thanks to a grant for solar panels.But Mr Purcell said it still faced the expense of water, coal and essential repairs and upgrades.He said: "Once upon a time, people would come to steam railways just to buy a ticket and sit behind a steam locomotive, but all heritage railways are finding that's just not enough anymore, we have to be more event based. "We still want to run the railway... but events bring people in and return income."
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