[Closed] Millbrook Proving Ground in TV shows...

The Aston Martin rolling multiple times crash in Casino Royale was filmed on those S bends.

Top Gear have used it dozens of times.

Agree about Millbrooke.
Disagree about Killing Eve.

Fastest I've ever driven was on the speed bowl there - 129mph in an MR2 Roadster.

We still weren't allowed on the top two lanes due to the risk of being rear ended (!) by a Bentley that was going well above that

and what a crock of poo Killing Eve S3 is

Yes! After the first 2 series were so good, this one is a crappy mess. Different writer, I believe (not Fleabag Pheobe)

For the full range of opinions, I though S2 was awful, and S3 is better.

And agree with the OP. Was thinking exactly the same. For some reason it really stood out in that Killing Eve episode as being artificial.

I think that Haribo advert is filmed there as well. You're average Killing Eve viewer probably has no idea of Millbrook do wouldnt even notice. I can't think of many places in the country that offers what Millbrook does so I'm sure you'll keep seeing it pop up!

Agree on Millbrook, gave up on Killing Eve part way through season 2.

I can’t think of many places in the country that offers what Millbrook does so I’m sure you’ll keep seeing it pop up!

Looks like a road but isn't a road - Its expensive enough to film on real roads just doing 'normal' - as soon as theres stunts and crashes you need a Fast And Furious budget. So Millbrook gives you 'looks like a road' and isn't far from London - ideal of your scene only lasts for 20 seconds on screen.

There are other bits of useful non-road road. A section in south Ayrshire of the A77 was bypassed and now really part of a farm but still has all the old road furniture. But its a long way from anywhere and looks distinctly like the Scottish Coast. Apart from the apparent banked tarmac the 'look' of Millbank in terms of its environment could be just outside any town or city really.

A section in south Ayrshire of the A77 was bypassed and now really part of a farm but still has all the old road furniture. But its a long way from anywhere and looks distinctly like the Scottish Coast.

Where is that exactly?

Barton Stacey is often used for stuff as well, such as...

From memory of having one of our Fire Engines tested there are only two suitable tracks like that in the UK, Milbrook and MIRA so options are limited. Various agencies work out of one or the other so I guess the stunt people work out of Milbrook?

As for Killing Eve, we gave up early in season two. Series one was the only one with the original writer wasn't it?

Its a great facility. Even where there is similar space, the options are less. @50.8010933,-1.8358765,1410m/data=!3m1!1e3">This is near me and used to get used for Special Stage rallies. But when you compare it to Millbrook there are far less options

Agree ref Millbrook, so easy to spot in many progs!

Enjoying Killing Eve S1 & S2. Not S3....

For a long time every single TV show that needed a scene of someone driving across mountains with a clear view of nowhere in particular was filming on the B4560 road that runs over the mountain to the south of Crickhowell, linking Llangynidr to Ebbw Vale. The northern view towards Llangorse Lake appeared on countless period drama shows as it has no obvious modern structures or signage, the hairpins appeared on nearly every Top Gear, Fifth Gear and countless YouTube videos (pretty sure Chris Harris used to camp there I spotted him filming there so often), easy to tell when they'd been up there by the drifting tyre marks. It got to the point where me and my mates would tie things to the signpost at the junction they all liked to slide round then spot them in the shows. That was until Tiff Needell cocked up the slide in a TVR and took the pole out!
It was the same with car shows and magazines at the same time using the Gower roads and the infamous 'Evo Triangle' in North Wales too. Obvious to people who knew the areas but they offered enough options for camera angles and differing views that the general public wouldn't realise.

Haven't spotted any of them in use for a whole now though. The production companies must have got bored of them or pissed off the locals too much!

Where is that exactly?

@55.1321103,-4.9946408,3a,75y,321.86h,70.94t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sgPwAl-3rxg8xh7uICGWMRg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DgPwAl-3rxg8xh7uICGWMRg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D66.864555%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656">Here

The road looks gubbed beyond the gate but beyond there its in pretty good nick

Aside from the expense and the admin involved in using public roads - the threats from the public being asked to wait for a few minutes get a bit much. There are parts of lovely rural Scotland where we know to have the police on hand when we're working 🙂

I thought it was Longcross, but seeing as I've never been there and the last time I was at Millbrook I was 8 yrs old, I'll take your word for it!

And yes it was annoying as it was clearly not a public road in Killing Eve, which really jarred.

And yes it was annoying as it was clearly not a public road in Killing Eve, which really jarred.

Time to get used to that kind of thing in any British drama. The budget is going to be writing the script for the foreseeable future.

…does it really get on anyone else’s tits that TV shows always seem to use the same bit of Millbrook road for any roadside action/drama shot!

easy signifier that something requiring a stuntman is about to happen.......

For a long time every single TV show that needed a scene of someone driving across mountains with a clear view of nowhere in particular was filming on the B4560 road that runs over the mountain to the south of Crickhowell, linking Llangynidr to Ebbw Vale. The northern view towards Llangorse Lake appeared on countless period drama shows as it has no obvious modern structures or signage,

Certain parts of the Trough of Bowland were well known for car shoots (often stills for magazines) because they were relatively easy to get to (not far off the M6) and there was just miles of rolling road, no signage, very few pylons.

Many years ago on a road ride up there I came round a corner to find about £5 million of cars parked up in the road and a load of cameras and lighting rigs.

I'm really near Millbrook and it is amazing place. The bridleway round the back is wonderfully dry now. Even though I live here I'm still surprised how steep the hills are. The company now seems very successful and has branches in several countries

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Nothing wrong with it - I work for them! (but not at that site).

Also still see Chertsey / Longcross on TV quite often (old Wheeler Dealers, various other car progs, Silent Witness, possibly one of the Go Compare ads etc). Maybe also the remains of TRL track gets used sometimes but not certain.

All of the above are conveniently close to London / TV and Ad land.

Season 3 is SOOOO much better than 2! It’s been back to it’s funny, slightly irreverent best.

It pops up in ruddy everything. And there it was again in Killing Eve S3 last night*.

I saw that! The wife didn't know what I was on about... The thing is, it stands out a mile off - wide, well-maintained road through woodland with not another car on it? Not exactly realistic! 😀

As for Killing Eve S3, it wasn't terrible, but it seemed pretty clear that the writers were writing it one episode at a time, not knowing what would come next. It felt like one of those improv games, where each person in the group has to say the next word.

In the same vein, the German Sci-fi drama Dark must use the German version of Millbrook!

Incidentally Season 3 of Dark is coming out at the end of the month, just need to watch the first 2 seasons again to refresh the brain!

The famous TV section of road at Millbrook is presumably a favourite as Millbrook can keep other users ragging round the other loops.

My claim to fame is that I broke down on that stretch of Millbrook at the launch day for the Vectra.

I thought it was Longcross

Twitter suggests that you're right:

https://twitter.com/KillingEveSites/status/1262800063765544962

Is that the one where the Sweeney filmed a few times, as well as New Tricks, and something more modern (not Killing Eve) was on TV last weekend at exactly the same place where the Sweeney were in 1976?

Yep , definitely Longcross.
Often see various McLarens having the sh*t ragged out of them when we are working up there. Sixth gear have driving days up there too.
We drove down the tank ramps there in a transit van several years back, that was
Interesting 😁
Pretty sure there was a scene where they were up near the workshops on the other side of the motorway too

Yep , definitely Longcross.

Yes, looking at pics on Google, it is pretty much the same as in 1976.
The Sweeney used it at least twice, New Tricks were there a few times (said they were at Epping), and it jumped out at me on a TV programme last week when flicking channels, as I'd recently seen that Sweeney episode on ITV4.

For a long time every single TV show that needed a scene of someone driving across mountains with a clear view of nowhere in particular was filming on the B4560 road that runs over the mountain to the south of Crickhowell, linking Llangynidr to Ebbw Vale.

This view?

I live down the road from Millbrook and as Ampthill said, there's a great bridleway round the outside of it. Was in there last year as got selected for the Hyundai i30N Experience. The mountain course is awesome although the young guy I was sharing the car with managed to understeer the thing into the Armco on the downhill exit to one of the hairpins. The instructor was virtually frogmarched away. Guess it's a big no no to not control your drivers.

Was also driven round the concrete handling course (the one Fifth Gear used to use) the same day by one of the pro drivers who demonstrated lift-off oversteer at 90mph over a crest into a right-hander - that got me clenching a bit the first time round!

@maccruiskeen as soon as you posted that I new where it was, that big rock is a dead giveaway. I'm surprised some of the other bits of dead road around the place aren't used, there are old bits of the A760 next to the reservoir that could be anywhere and only used by farmers for stacking silage. Same for the unclassified roads and offshoots around Muirsheil now the pylons are disappearing.

The instructor was virtually frogmarched away. Guess it’s a big no no to not control your drivers.

I've only had a minibus tour. But yes they are clearly very strict on who drives etc. Not surprising as it's the work place for lots of people. A German racing driver left in a rush one day years back and killed some one in the village. Apparently that's why it has speed bumps

Yep very safety focused company. I always wondered about all the traffic calming.

Ehra is another impressive track but you'll never see that used for TV drama shows.

Agree. Millbrook is overused in TV dramas.

I wouldn’t care but there are miles of roads there but the same section keeps reappearing.

We used to use it annually in the National Asphalt Rally championship. Mint place, though there was one hot year when certain tarmac sections were ripped up by the cars. Don’t think they were too happy.

I cycled over there for the last ever RAC rally (on my Rift Zone!), avoided all the traffic and saw McRae sideways in the air over a crest where everyone else was slowing down and Makinnen rip his wheel off after hitting oil left by an Imp.

Don't know if this link will work but it's the promo video Hyundai sent me after the event. Some good views of Millbrook and a couple of me enjoying myself!

Did a couple of Single Venue Stage Rallys at Millbrook and quite a few at Longcross. Millbrook Hill circuit is probably the best fun to be had in a tarmac rally car short of the lanes of Ireland.

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TR8 at LOngcross

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Nice!

Nice!

🙂 Thanks

Just watching Casino Royale where the city centre car chase cut straight to the grass, trees and crash barriers of the Alpine Circuit 🙂

I recognised it as the twisty handling section of Longcross too as I did a few crit races there.