It's no coincidence Liverpool has been used to depict New York in so many films over the years.
From Stanley Dock being transformed into 1940s New York for the first Captain America film in 2011 to Water Street and Duke Street being utilised for Jack Ryan in 2014, Liverpool is the go to place for film companies needing a doppelganger for The Big Apple.
Much of this is down to the city being blessed with many unique locations and the largest amount of Grade I listed buildings outside of London, making it a popular place to shoot for both film and TV.
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With the classical buildings around Water Street - and The Royal Liver Building closely resembling the early tall American skyscrapers - it's easy to see how filmmakers can make use of our architecture.
Couple this with both New York and Liverpool having iconic docklands - both cities are in many ways a natural fit.
Although countless films and TV shows have been set in New York, it’s common for companies not to shoot in the locations that the story is set in.
This is usually done for budget reasons, or convenience, but sometimes it's because another location actually looks more historically appropriate.
Channel 4's latest 5-part hit drama created by Russell T Davies 'It's A Sin' also took advantage of Liverpool's architecture to transport viewers back to 1980s New York.
Produced by RED Production Company (Years and Years, The Stranger, Traces) the series was filmed across North West England with a few days of shooting in January 2020 where Liverpool doubled for scenes set in New York.
The drama, showing on Channel 4 and All4, follows a group of British friends at the height of the HIV crisis which had a devastating impact on LGBTQ+ communities and society in the 1980s.
Doubling for The Big Apple this time, Water Street was transformed with vintage yellow New York taxis.
According to FX company Technicolor VFX, they ‘created a 1980’s period setting using a combination of creative filming with CGI techniques.
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Visual FX Supervisor Nicholas Bennett said: "We converted Liverpool into the busy streets of New York by adding subtle details to every frame.
“We added iconic New York buildings into the backdrop for the wide shots, as well as classic 1980’s advertising billboards, the American flag, and signature New York steam rising up from the subway.
"We also added CG traffic and crowds walking up and down the streets."
