The Undertaker film holds world premiere in Bristol

The Undertaker lead actor Paul McGann said The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol are "fantastic"

A new gothic gangster thriller starring Paul McGann has held its world premiere in Bristol.

McGann, who plays the titular role in The Undertaker, said the location was chosen in celebration of the film being made entirely in his adoptive city.

He said the Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch were "fantastic" and sleeping in his own bed was "a real treat" too.

The cast of The Undertaker includes Tara Fitzgerald and Roger Barclay.

Best known for playing Dr Who and his starring role as Marwood, in the cult classic Withnail and I, Bristol-based McGann's latest role is mild-mannered funeral director Arthur Morel.

He is pressured into burying the victims of a local gangster, Finlay Unsworth, and finds himself at a moral crossroads, as Unsworth's killing spree escalates out of control.

McGann said it was "fitting" the premiere was held in Bristol because the film was made in the city

"He's scared of these guys. He's pressured into doing it. You sort of root for him", the actor said.

Speaking on BBC Bristol, McGann said he chose the role because "you wanna be in things you'd go and see".

He said Arthur Morel is a man of few words, and as a big silent movie fan, the challenge of reacting is one he has always enjoyed.

The so-called period crime noir thriller was all filmed in The Bottle Yard Studios in McGann's hometown of Bristol, where he has lived since the 80s.

He said: "It was great to get up and go to work in the same city. It was a real treat. I could sleep in my own bed at night."

For McGann, with the studios based in Hartcliffe, it was a mere 15-minute journey to work.

He said the director purposefully chose a smaller studio space for them to work in, and all of the scenes were filmed inside.

McGann said a crew of around 30 worked in "laboratory like conditions" for three to four weeks and this "weird intensity" added to the "film noir" vibe of the picture.

The Undertaker is described as a period crime noir thriller

"You can see it in our eyes and on our faces. It all plays into the story. It kind of turned out nice and strange."

McGann said director and writer Michael Wright also drew on his earlier experience working as a designer on miniature sets for the award-winning Bristol-based animation studio Aardman.

He was a designer on Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out.

Director Michael Wright (left) hosted a Q&A with Paul McGann (right) after the world premiere in Bristol

On The Undertaker, he helped create some of the film's detailed street scenes all in miniature.

The film's world premiere took place at The Watershed cinema in Bristol on Tuesday night.

McGann said the location was "right and fitting" considering its connections to the city.

The screening was followed by a Q&A with Paul McGann, writer and director Michael Wright and producer and writer Roger Barclay, who plays Finlay in the film.

The Undertaker is released in UK cinemas on 3 November.