The decision to shut down a sleepy commuter town to allow it to be used as the set for the new HBO Harry Potter adaption caused widespread disruption and delays – but the town received as much as a £1million sweetener for a day of filming, we can reveal.
Dozens of shops had to close for 24 hours and streets were shut with buses and traffic diverted as camera crews and production trailers flooded into the town this week.
But although businesses and the local council were left rubbing their hands at the windfall, many local residents who didn’t get a fee were left complaining about ‘traffic chaos and lengthy diversions’ due to the shutdown.
HBO – who are rumoured to have an eyewatering budget of $1.2billion for the adaption of JK Rowling’s original novels over ten years – contacted several shops and businesses in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, earlier this year.
Each episode is said to cost £75m, making it one of the most expensive TV series ever – so Hoddeson was keen to be on the payroll.
Letters asked if owners would be willing to have their premises converted into a ‘1980’s theme’ as part of the production – and offered compensation for closing for the day.
Those that agreed were paid ‘several thousand pounds’ in compensation for lost earnings while Conservative-run Broxbourne Council is thought to have been paid £1m.
An area of Hoddesdon centre was closed off on Tuesday for the filming which started at 8am and went on for the whole day – with several roads blocked off, buses diverted and the taxi rank moved.
The decision to shut down Hoddeson, Hertfordshire for filming caused widespread disruption – but the town is thought to have received a £1million sweetener. Pictured: The town back to normal after its 1980s transformation
Vintage cars flooded the streets in the town in a bid to transport it back to the 1980s, when the first book’s prologue is set
Shop and business owners were asked if they would be willing to have their premises converted into a ‘1980’s theme’ as part of the production – and offered compensation for closing for the day. Pictured: The town was taken back in time this week
For the shoot, the area around the town’s impressive clock tower was given a historical makeover and transported back to 1981, the setting for the Harry Potter prologue.
Although Hoddesdon was chosen as the filming location – the actual setting is Guildford in Surrey, some 63 miles away – with TV bosses saying the Hertfordshire town had a more ‘authentic feel to it’. The show is set to air in 2027.
In the book Harry Potter’s uncle, Vernon Dursely, played by Daniel Rigby, lives in Little Whinging and he is a muggle, who deeply dislikes and fears anything to do with wizardry and is married to Petunia.
In phots from the filming, Vernon is seen dressed in a sharp suit and tie, holding a pastry, as a small man in a violet cloak appears to fall over himself right in front of him as he leaves a shop.
The premises in question is actually a newsagent run by Bala Kumar, 49, who told the Daily Mail: ‘It was a great honour for my shop to be used and I was more than happy to help out.
‘We had a letter a few months ago and then someone came by to talk us through it and offered us some compensation for the day, it wouldn’t really be right to say how much but it was worth it.
‘I think I was one of the only shops that was used and was allowed to remain open, purely because of the stock we have here.
‘From what I understand, there was a sliding scale of compensation, the bigger the shop and the more lost footfall then the more money you were offered.
Peter Sampson, 86, who owns Hertfordshire Zoo, and his wife Rachael, said he made ‘several thousand’ after agreeing for his premises to be used and said the crew were ‘good as gold’
Hairdresser Dino Savva, 59, who runs George’s salon, said: ‘They changed the front of the shop and touched it up here and there and put it right the next day’
Newsagent Bala Kumar, 49, said ‘it was a great honour’ for his shop to be used for filming
Hoddesdon, which is based on the River Lea and 20 miles north of London, was given a historic makeover to transport it back to 1981
An estate agent window showed the huge rise of inflation that has hit the economy in the past four decades, with houses available to purchase for as little as £25,000
Filming for Harry Potter’s HBO series saw Hoddesdon transported back to the 1980s on Tuesday, as star Daniel Rigby filmed scenes as the gruff Vernon Dursley
‘It must have cost them quite a bit as there were lots of shops closed and then I heard the council was paid as well for the inconvenience of having the town shut for the day.
‘There has been talk of them getting £1m, but I don’t know if that’s true.’
He added: ‘It was all done very authentically and they even had old copies of the Daily Mail from back then and I kept a couple.’
Peter Sampson, 86, and his wife Rachael, who were strolling through Hoddesdon the day after filming celebrating his birthday, were also some of the lucky few who cashed in.
Mr Sampson, who owns Hertfordshire Zoo, told the Daily Mail: ‘They parked some of their trucks on our land and they made it very worthwhile for us – you can’t expect me to say how much, but it was several thousand.
‘We were contacted a few months ago and were happy to help – let’s be honest, it didn’t really affect me much and I’m not going to turn my nose up at several thousand pounds. Who would In this day and age?
‘The cast and some of the crew parked up at my place and to give them their due they were as good as gold and didn’t cause any problems whatsoever – it’s all back to normal now.’
When asked if he had heard suggestions Broxbourne Council had been paid £1m, Mr Sampson said: ‘Well, I wouldn’t be surprised, the whole place was shut down and the week before they were really sprucing the place up.
A news stand offered a throwback to the headlines that dominated conversation at the time
Daily Mail’s original splash (pictured) showed Diana heading to lunch at the City Of London Guildhall just hours after Buckingham Palace announced her pregnancy
‘They cleared all the litter up and picked all the gum from the pavements to make sure the place was spotless.’
Local hairdresser Dino Savva, 59, who runs George’s salon, said: ‘They changed the front of the shop and touched it up here and there and put it right the next day.
‘They were no problem and when they contacted me they made me an offer for the day – which was a lot more than I usually take on a Tuesday, so I accepted it.
‘What surprised me though is that even with the shop being officially closed I had five people turn up for a haircut. I don’t know how they got through security, so I did them in the back of the shop.
‘If I am being honest, the compensation for the day was more than enough, but it was the run-up that affected me more. With all the preparation for the filming I did lose some trade, but I suppose the publicity will make up for it.’
But all were not happy, with one local telling the Daily Mail: ‘It was absolute chaos here on Tuesday, the road was shut and I couldn’t walk through town to get to my optician’s appointment.
Broxbourne Council did not confirm the amount paid to the town by the studio – but it is thought to be in the region of £1million
‘I had to walk all the way around the block and then make the same journey back which was really inconvenient to me and no one apologised.
‘I’ve heard Broxborne Council got £1m. Well, let’s hope they use it to fix some of the potholes around here.’
Broxbourne Council has been in the headlines recently with plans to follow nearby Epping Forest District Council and challenge the government’s use of a local hotel, the Cheshunt Marriott, for migrants.
Last month Broxbourne Council leader Corina Gander said it was taking legal advice as a ‘matter of urgency’ on whether it could go down the same road as Epping, saying the hotel had ‘put an enormous strain on local services’.
In a statement to Daily Mail, Broxbourne Council did not confirm the exact amount paid to the town.
They said: ‘The Council is unable to comment on the filming project in Hoddesdon due to a non-disclosure agreement but can confirm that the speculation regarding sums is wrong.
‘Businesses and residents were contacted ahead of this short-term project, and the general public was also made aware of temporary arrangements including road closures and reduced pedestrian access.’
