A film crew has taken over a south Bristol backstreet to shoot a new series starring Academy Award winning actor Christopher Walken.
The Offenders, which is directed by Stephen Merchant, follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence.
As well as Walken and Bristol-born Merchant, the star-studded cast for the BBC One and Amazon Prime Video six-parter also features Killing Eve's Darren Boyd and Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson.
Shooting for the forthcoming series has already taken place in several locations across Bristol and today (February 2) it is underway in Lucky Lane, Southville - an alleyway commonly used by shoppers going to and from the nearby Asda supermarket.
Filming appears to be taking place in one of the garages which lines the street.
A member of security at the shoot said it will only last for one day.
In his first lead British television role, Walken becomes an offender undertaking community service in the role of Frank - an inveterate scoundrel trying to reconnect with his family.
Merchant plays Greg, a "lonely lawyer coping with divorce, work-place bullying and scary men with knives".
Speaking to the BBC about the series, Merchant said: "Like so many other productions, we’d just begun filming when Covid-19 struck and we had to shut down.
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"I’m delighted that we’re now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project.
"This is the first series I’ve made in my hometown of Bristol and I’m so excited to showcase the city and utilise the amazing local talent."
The series is a co-production between BBC One and Amazon Studios. The series was commissioned by BBC Comedy and BBC One, produced by Big Talk (Mum, Friday Night Dinner, Defending the Guilty) with Stephen Merchant’s Four Eyes.
The series will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, Canada and Australia.
As the production is taking place during the current Covid-19 pandemic, additional measures are being implemented by the production team.
Big Talk and Four Eyes are "committed to creating a safe working space and have developed comprehensive protocols in accordance with current government guidelines to ensure that the series is produced in a safe and responsible manner".
