Since the 1960s, Castle Howard has been used as a location for many film and television productions. The house, the beautiful grounds and wider estate are all ideal settings for costume dramas, feature films and documentaries. These pages have information on Castle Howard’s starring role on the big screen.
If you are interested in using Castle Howard as a location please visit our Location Filming & Photography pages.
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Ecosse Films’ production of Evelyn Waugh’s novel, directed by Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane) and produced by Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae together with Kevin Loader. The film has been adapted for the screen by Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones Diary, Bleak House) and Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland). With Ben Whishaw as Sebastian Flyte, Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder, Hayley Atwell as Julia Flyte, with Michael Gambon and Emma Thompson as Lord and Lady Marchmain.
Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (2006)
Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) travels to the United Kingdom, and he brings his cat, Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray), along for the trip. A case of mistaken cat identity finds Garfield ruling over a castle (Castle Howard), but his reign is soon jeopardized by the nefarious Lord Dargis (Billy Connolly), who has designs on the estate.
Great Estates (2000, 2001)
A series of hugely popular documentaries about Castle Howard and other estates in England, that provided a fascinating glimpse into all aspects of life at Castle Howard indoors, outdoors and behind the scenes.
A Year in the Life of Castle Howard (1996)
A six-part documentary on the Castle Howard.
The Buccaneers (1994)
A BBC production of Edith Wharton’s novel of the 19th century encounter between English aristocracy and wealthy American heiresses. Because of their “new money” background, four American girls have difficulty breaking into the upper-crust society of New York. Laura Testvalley, the governess of one of the girls, suggests a London season and thus the young women set sail for England and the unsuspecting English aristocracy.
Twelfth Night (1978)
A BBC production of one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, and surprisingly the only time Castle Howard has been used for a Shakespeare play.
Brideshead Revisited (1981)
Granada TV’s production of Evelyn Waugh’s novel, starring Anthony Andrews, Jeremy Irons and Diana Quick, has achieved mythic status as one of the great costume dramas of all time. Although it is not certain that Waugh identified his Brideshead with Castle Howard, for many people the two buildings have come to epitomise a nostalgia for England before the Second World War.
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel by William Thackeray. Redmond Barry is a young, roguish Irishman who’s determined, in any way, to make a life for himself as a wealthy nobleman. Enlisting in the British Army, fighting in the Seven Years War in Europe, Barry deserts from the British army, joins the Prussian army, gets promoted to the rank of a spy, then becomes pupil to a Chevalier and con artist.
The Spy With a Cold Nose (1966)
A spoof cold war spy thriller starring Lawrence Harvey with Castle Howard masquerading as the Kremilin in Moscow. The Russian Premier is presented with a British bulldog that has been fitted with a transmitter by Dr. Francis Trevelyan (Laurence Harvey).
Lady L (1965)
Directed by Peter Ustinov, and starring David Niven, Sophia Loren and Paul Newman in a tale of European anarchists and aristocrats. Lady Louise Lendale (Sophia Loren) is 80 years old and tells her long time admirer, British poet Sir Percy (Cecil Parker), all about her eventful life.