Wokingham’s newest café didn’t stick around long
WOKINGHAM town centre gained a new café over the weekend, but it didn’t stick around for long.
The Flower Corner on Broad Street was transformed into Betty J’s Café, offering coffee, cakes, breakfasts and paninis.
Well, kind of.
It was all a front.
The town centre is playing centre stage in a new drama from the pen of Sherlock cocreator Steven Moffat.
On Sunday, production company Hartswood Films used the location for its new film, Inside Man.
It is a four-part mini-series that will be shown on BBC One and Netflix when it’s completed, and stars former Doctor Who David Tennant, Dracula’s Dolly Wells, and Lydia West, who appeared in Years and Years.
The title role is played by Stanley Tucci.
It is not known how Wokingham fits in to the drama, which follows a prisoner on death row in the US, a Vicar in a quiet English town, and a maths teacher trapped in a cellar, as they cross paths in an unexpected way.
Hundreds of people stood in the street to watch the filming, hoping to catch a glimpse of its stars.
Security was tight, with pavements closed off and people unable to visit local businesses while the film makers captured the action.
Those hoping to see former Doctor Who David Tennant were unrewarded: there were whispers that he either had a day off, or filmed his scenes in the early hours of the day.
However, Whovians were able to spot Mr Moffat, who wrote many memorable episodes of the popular adventure serial. He was part of the team observing filming of several scenes in the café, and also on the road.
Towards the end of the filming day, drone cameras were seen filming cars driving along parts of Broad Street.
Hartswood Films is being very tight-lipped about the filming and asked us not to reveal any specific details, lest it spoil people’s enjoyment of the series when it is screened.
So, for now, we have to wait and see how the town’s latest brush with the stars comes over on screen. But with the new Shinfield Studios on its way, it won’t be long before Wokingham becomes Tinseltown once again.