TV drama puts seaside town 'on the map'

The Channel 4 drama Truelove was filmed in parts of Somerset

The filming of a television drama has been "great publicity" for a Somerset seaside town, locals have said.

Truelove is about six friends who make a pact that if any of them receive a terminal health diagnosis the others will help them end their life sooner.

The Channel 4 programme was filmed last year, with many of the scenes captured in Burnham-on-Sea.

Michael Clarke, commodore of the town's sailing club which features in the drama, said: "It's nice publicity for Burnham. It puts Burnham on the map".

Michael Clarke was in one scene of Truelove filmed at Burnham-on-Sea Sailing Club

Things moved "pretty quickly and smoothly" after the production company contacted the sailing club, with filming taking place in May last year, Mr Clarke said.

The drama's cast includes Lindsay Duncan, Clarke Peters, Peter Egan and Sue Johnston.

"The actors were great, they were all very friendly. The whole sailing club came together to help the team," Mr Clarke added.

He helped set up one scene near the club's jetty and was very briefly on screen in episode two.

"I got about a second and a half of screen time, although I am still waiting for an agent to call," he said.

"They were probably here for a couple of days, most of the filming was done in one day.

"For those who have seen it, the shot here on the pontoons didn't last very long, but it took an awfully long time to film to create that.

"The amount of background crew was immense. It was incredible to see," Mr Clarke added.

Locals watching the programme have been spotting key Burnham-on-Sea locations

Somerset's towns and cities have been the backdrop to a number of productions in recent years.

Scenes from the BBC's Wolf Hall were filmed at Barrington Court, while the BBC's Chloe saw scenes filmed in Burnham-on-Sea.

The film Hot Fuzz was also based in Wells.

Mr Clarke believes the fact Burnham-on-Sea is close to the motorway and therefore logistically easy to get to for film companies, as well as it having "the sea and sun, most of the time", makes it an attractive location.

"It is a great place to be," he added.

Screen Somerset, which is part of Somerset Council, is hoping to encourage more productions to film in the county.

Mark Ford, from Screen Somerset, said: "Every production brings people.

"They stay in hotels and spend money in the shops. All that sort of stuff is great for your local economy."

Truelove can be seen on Channel 4's streaming service.