Film crews on the streets of Oldham are no longer an unusual sight.
From the rolling hills of Saddleworth to the town’s gritty industrial aesthetic, there’s something about the borough that seems to appeal to production companies.
In 2025, there were several sightings of film crews in Oldham, as well as shows previously filmed in the borough hitting television screens.
Here’s a round-up of what was filmed and where over the last 12 months.
The show that everyone is talking about at the moment is the new Harlan Coben adaptation for Netflix, Run Away.
In January 2025, James Nesbitt was spotted filming on the Saddleworth Moors near Marsden and when the first trailer dropped in December, it was also revealed that Oldham’s Alexandra Park was also used as a filming location.
The eight-part thriller, about a father searching for his missing daughter, arrived on Netflix on January 1 with all episodes now available to view.
In April, the council notified residents that Tandle Hill park was to close for a couple of days while film crews took over the park to shoot series two of ITV crime drama After the Flood.
The council warned residents that “fire effects” and quad bikes were used during the shoot, in case anyone raised concerns.
Despite the warning, some residents living near the park took to social media to enquire about the strange lights above the park, even joking that it could be aliens.
At the time, we went to the park to see if we could spot any famous faces, but only managed to spot various items of equipment and lighting rigs dotted through the scenic locations.
Read more
- New Harlan Coben series filmed in Saddleworth drops on Netflix
- Where in Oldham was new Netflix thriller Run Away filmed?
- What have these famous Oldhamers been up to in 2025?
- The town centre changes that shaped Oldham in 2025
The first trailer for After the Flood season two has just been released and it will be airing on ITV in early 2026.
It looks as though it will be following on from the first season, which saw a body wash up in a village following a devastating flood.
In May, we also received reports of a film crew on the roads near Denshaw, filming on a vehicle rig described by one passerby as an “unusual contraption” that also briefly held up traffic in the Saddleworth village.
It was never confirmed what the crew were filming, but many people speculated that it could have been Brassic, which has used Oldham as a location several times during its seven-season run.
In October 2024, film crews took over the Liquid and Envy nightclub in Oldham town centre to shoot a scene in AMC’s supernatural thriller Talamasca.
Although it was not filmed in 2025, it was released in October last year.
It is the latest series in the Anne Rice universe, based on novels of the acclaimed fantasy writer. Other shows in the series include Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches.
Another series that was filmed not in Oldham, but very close was Ridley starring Adrian Dunbar.
Some of the scenes of the second series, which aired in August 2025 were filmed at Rochdale’s Watergrove reservoir and others were filmed in Ashton town centre.
Finally, it may not be a filming location, but Uppermill Brass Band deserve a mention as two of their players were selected to appear as extras in the recent House of Guinness series for Netflix, which was filmed in Manchester city centre among other North West locations.
The Oldham Council website has information for production companies wishing to film in the borough, as well information for drone photographers and on road closures for film shoots.
Also included is a short showreel of some popular places in Oldham that could be used for filming.
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