Watford has been a filming hotspot of late, with everyone from Hollywood A-listers to YouTube stars sprinkling some stardust on the town.

The area has had its fair share of filming in recent times, with the council encouraging studios to come to town, promising to help and support productions.

The Hertfordshire Film Office launched in April 2023, promising to offer a dedicated one-stop service for filming in the county.

Here are five recent times that filming has taken Watford by storm.

1. KSI and the Sidemen

(Image: Watford Town Centre BID) Our first entry should come as little surprise, with the man best known as KSI hailing from right here in Watford.

The video game YouTuber turned musician and boxer was back in town last week, filming with members of his Sidemen group near The Parade.

Watford Town Centre BID shared pictures and a video at around on October 9 showing KSI preparing and serving burgers from a food truck for a crowd of excited schoolkids, adding that the group “caused a stir”.

2. Period police drama

(Image: Stephen Danzig) Retro police cars were spotted outside the town’s former station last week as part of filming for a ‘TV murder mystery’.

There were several old-fashioned vehicles parked up outside the station, including marked police cars and a black cab. A telephone box was installed at the front, with information inside stating that it is meant to be in Rye, Sussex.

It is unknown what was being filmed, or who will be starring in the production.

3. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga

(Image: Donald McDougall) Hollywood A-listers were spotted in Cassiobury Park at the end of September, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga seen filming for an upcoming horror film.

Onlookers speculated they were in town to film The Conjuring: Last Rites.

What is being filmed has not been officially confirmed, although before the latest pictures emerged it had been suggested to be an American horror film.

Two locals were reportedly told by the site staff it was Warner Bros filming for the fourth film in The Conjuring franchise, which is due to be released next year.

4. The BBC come to a primary school

(Image: Newsquest) In August a north Watford primary school was filled with film crews for the latest series of a popular BBC crime drama.

Silent Witness, which follows a team of forensic pathologists, set up at Parkgate Junior School in preparation for season 28, which is due to premier in January 2025.

The show  has visited Watford for previous seasons as eagle-eyed viewers were able to spot Market Street in one episode of series 27, which aired in January this year.

5. Sweetpea

(Image: Sophie Mutevelian/Sky TV) Earlier this year, Sky filmed in Oxhey Park for Sweetpea, a comedy-drama series that began to air last week.

Scenes were shot along the footpath by the River Colne, with Watford Borough Council confirming that the use of the park was agreed through the council-funded Hertfordshire Film Office.

The show follows  a quiet office manager working at a local paper who becomes a killer.