We live in the real-life Broadchurch town – our area played a crucial role in the show, but tourists forget about us
IT's been six years since the third and final series of smash-hit Broadchurch came to an end.
But the popular ITV drama is still the mainstay of a seaside town where many of its iconic scenes were filmed.
Residents of Clevedon, North Somerset, say they wander the streets and feel as though stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman will jump out at them at any minute.
Their characters Detective Inspector Alec Hardy and side-kick Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller haven't graced the area since 2017, but their memory is still very much alive.
Estate agent Sue Huxtable, who lives locally, said: "When the series was being filmed in Clevedon everyone got very excited.
"I know children from the local school who were extras and there was a real sense that we were taking part in something very special.
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"Hill Road in the town is a great place for independent shops and this road became the high street in Broadchurch.
"You can still picture David Tennant and Olivia Colman walking down the road.
"You almost feel as though they are going to jump out from one of the shops again because it was all so real."
But the 66-year-old feels Clevedon was snubbed when it came to airtime during the 24 episodes, as West Bay in Dorset, where other iconic moments were shot, stole the limelight.
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It means tourists flock to the Jurassic Coast in their thousands to take selfies and spend money instead of heading to the Somerset civil parish.
"It seemed as though all the focus was on the Dorset coastline and the views from the cliffs above West Bay," Sue added.
"But there were equally scenic shots across the Bristol Channel and the cliffs above Marine Lake are dramatic.
"So, I hope that with the airing of Broadchurch again on ITVX people will see what we’ve known all along - that Clevedon is a great place to live and just as good as Dorset."
Her views were echoed by Craig Knowles, who agrees that their town deserves a bit more recognition.
The 53-year-old, who was born just up the coast in Pill, said: "It’s always great to be able to sit in front of the TV and see places that you have a connection with.
"And Clevedon has been one of those places which film-makers love coming to because of the fantastic light and atmosphere around the town.
"I don’t think people appreciate just what the town has to offer and, for me, I think it was the star of Broadchurch because I knew so many places where the filming took place."
And wild water swimmer Marie Donnelly, 43, who had just emerged from a dip in the Marine Lake - one of the settings in the first series - reiterated their points.
You almost feel as though David Tennant and Olivia Colman are going to jump out from one of the shops because it was all so real.
Sue Huxtable
She said: "I come from Sunderland and we have the same with the series Vera which is based around the North East.
"I must admit that I thought most of the filming was done around Dorset but with a lot of the locations being in Clevedon I do think that the town needs to be given credit.
"I’m sure that the die-hard Broadchurch fans know that Clevedon was instrumental in the series and hopefully with the repeats going out more people will become aware of just what a wonderful part of the world this is."
North Somerset Council has tried to publicise the part the Victorian seaside resort town played in the series with a Broadchurch Trail set up for people to follow in the footsteps of the stars.
It starts at Marine Lake, built in 1929, which boasts uninterrupted views across the Bristol Channel and was featured in many scenes throughout the series.
The shop where newsagent Jack Marshall worked, played by Harry Potter star David Bradley, is still a corner shop on Alexandra Road.
And the Victorian cliffside hotel where DI Hardy stayed when he first came to Broadchurch is still welcoming guests.
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The Walton Park Hotel which opened in 1874 has had many famous visitors over the years including Hollywood star Cary Grant and Poet Laureate John Betjeman.
Other locations in the town used in the series include Poet’s Walk, where literary giants such as Alfred Lord Tennyson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were inspired by the scenery.
