Sartaj Singh
Under the direction of Alex Pillai, ‘How to Date Billy Walsh’ revolves around childhood friends Amelia and Archie, who take it upon themselves to spend their final year in school without any inhibitions. Archie is secretly in love with his best friend, Amelia, and the two are considered bottom feeders of their school’s social hierarchy. Frustrated by their lack of adventurous experiences, Amelia and Archie decide to confront their bullies, confess to their crushes, and live it up. Just as Archie prepares to confess his feelings for Amelia, she reveals her desire to date Billy Walsh, the most popular guy at their school.
As the erstwhile social rejects make a dramatic comeback, their lives are thrown into a chaotic blur of self-exploration, bullying, and romantic machinations. The Amazon Prime Video film is a coming-of-age romantic comedy that treats us to picturesque views of the English countryside, revolving around the stately school. With the dream-like locations seen in the film, from the characters’ school campus to their homes, viewers may seek to investigate the real-world filming locations behind the scenes.
How to Date Billy Walsh Filming Locations
‘How to Date Billy Walsh’ was filmed using locations in York and Cheshire, England. Principal photography for the movie was carried out between August and September of 2022. When asked about his favorite moments behind the scenes, actor Sebastian Croft revealed how the entire shooting process had flown by and felt like a blur with over-the-top scenes and a large number of characters rotating in and out of the sets. “Every day we were doing something ridiculous,” he explained. “I remember getting strung up to a rugby post with half my head shaven, and I was like… This is silly.” Let us take a look at the exact locations of the school and the neighborhoods seen in the movie.
York, England
York, a historical city with deep roots traced back to Roman times, became the primary filming location for ‘How to Date Billy Walsh.’ Traveling north of the city, the film crew set up shop at Ampleforth College, situated near Ampleforth Abbey in the civil parish of Ampleforth. Much of the countryside locations seen in the movie, including the school’s exteriors, were captured in the North Yorkshire village. Characterized by its rolling hills, verdant natural spaces, and tranquil atmosphere, the quaint parish became the perfect backdrop to contrast the tumultuous events taking place in the movie. While most of the filming for ‘How to Date Billy Walsh’ takes place on location in and around York, some of its wilder scenes, involving food fights and the rainy romantic play, were filmed in a movie studio with controlled lighting and special effects.
Ampleforth College is a prestigious Catholic boarding school located at the heart of a valley, with its entire campus visible during establishing shots of the institution as Amelia and Archie reach school. The college was established on the grounds of the Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey in 1802 as a boy’s school. With its idyllic setting in the North Yorkshire countryside, grand buildings and sports fields, Ampleforth College became a comprehensive filming destination for capturing exterior and most interior school scenes for ‘How to Date Billy Walsh.’ The grounds and structures of the college have also served as filming locations for some of the school backdrops in the ‘Harry Potter’ movie series.
Cheshire, England
Some locations in the non-metropolitan county of Cheshire, especially around Manchester and Altrincham, conveyed sites central to the film’s plot. Amelia’s picturesque house seen in the movie is actually the property located at 1 Millington Hall Lane, Millington, Altrincham. A charming, thatched cottage surrounded by greenery, the building was used to lens both interior and exterior scenes taking place around Amelia’s house. We can first observe the wooded-lined cottage when Amelia’s driver pulls up to the house in a vintage car. The house also hosts sequences involving Amelia’s family.
Situated approximately 8 miles southwest of Manchester city center, Altrincham is a vibrant market town that dates back to 1290 and boasts an eclectic mix of artisanal food stalls, independent shops, and a lively atmosphere. Some TV shows and movies that have been shot around its neighborhoods include ‘Safe,’ ‘Tolkien,’ and ‘Mount Pleasant.’
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