The charity making life better by water

Canals and rivers on screen

Our waterways have been in the limelight - or set lights - from feature films to fashion shoots for years.

Photo of Gary Oldman and Kristen Scott Thomas standing on the towpath of the Regent's Canal in Regent's Park

In the past few years, our canals and rivers have been working hard behind the scenes, you might have seen us in...

Slow Horses (pictured above) based on the Slough House spy novels by Mick Herron, this Apple TV series used the Regent's Canal in Regent's Park as a rendezvous for Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Lamb (Gary Oldman).

Trying is Apple TV comedy series set in Camden about a couple trying to adopt. The Regent's Canal featured as a backdrop to several scenes, including one where the main cast unexpectedly find themselves in the water.

Photo of a man and a woman walking by the regent's Canal in camden

Red Rose tells the story of teenage friends who are tormented by a sinister mobile phone app called Red Rose. A spooky scene takes place along the Rochdale canal which runs underground in the Picadilly Basin area of the Manchester.

CBeebies Jo Jo & Gran Gran made a special trip to the canal in the episode It's Time For A Boat Ride. JoJo and Gran Gran meet Ned and Monty who are liveaboard boaters.

Still from CBeebie Jojo and Gran Gran episode Its time for a boat rise

His Dark Materials (below) Sharpness Dock on Gloucester and Sharpness Canal doubles for the waterways of Oxford in the new BBC/HBO adaptation of Phillip Pullman's novels.

Paddington 2 – In 2017 Paddington Bear mounted a dog and chased a book thief around Browning's Pool in Little Venice.

Photo of Canal & River Trust employees as extras in His Dark Materials

Great Canal Journeys reached its thirteenth series in 2021 and although Tim and Pru may not be gracing our screens any longer, the BBC4 series Canal Boat Diaries has just aired it's third series. The documentary with live aboard boater Robbie Cumming shows the reality of life afloat combined with a chilled soundtrack and stunning views of the canals Robbie has visited.

Photo of Robbie Cumming sitting on a lock gate and giving thumbs up
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Last Edited: 20 June 2023

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