Kingdom cameras put town in spotlight

The second series of Kingdom, filmed mainly in and around Swaffham, got under way on Sunday - with more than 5.4million TV viewers tuning in.The gentle drama follows the adventures of Peter Kingdom, played by Stephen Fry, as a Norfolk-based solicitor who is getting on with life after the mysterious disappearance of his brother.

The second series of Kingdom, filmed mainly in and around Swaffham, got under way on Sunday - with more than 5.4million TV viewers tuning in.

The gentle drama follows the adventures of Peter Kingdom, played by Stephen Fry, as a Norfolk-based solicitor who is getting on with life after the mysterious disappearance of his brother.

The first series, of six one-hour episodes, aired from 22 April to 27 May 2007, averaging six million viewers per week. Despite a mid-series ratings dip, the executive chairman of ITV praised the programme, and a second series was filmed from July to September 2007.

Location filming was primarily based in Swaffham, but shooting also took place in nearby Hunstanton, Wells, Holkham, Thetford and Dereham - creating the fictional town of Market Shipborough. Fry recommended Swaffham to the producers, citing market towns as “more revealing of what Britain is like than a city is.”

As the film which contributed some £2.5 million to the local economy began airing on Sunday, Norfolk Tourism added a Norfolk film locations section to its website, www.visitnorfolk.co.uk

It opens with four pages on Kingdom that feature a virtual tour of Swaffham's historic buildings, photographs and video clips from the first series, an introduction to the main characters, along with the actors' thoughts on Norfolk. Visitors can also search for local accommodation and things to see and do in the area.