If you imagine spotting Olivia Colman, Sir Tom Jones, or Ariana Grande, you might think of a glamorous Los Angeles neighbourhood. Yet, a modest British town just a short train ride from central London is fast becoming the United Kingdom's very own version of Beverly Hills. This unlikely celebrity magnet is even set to get a major Hollywood-style studio visitor attraction later this year.
From Fish and Chips to Film Stars: A Local's Perspective
The town in question is Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, which boasts its own Walk of Fame along the high street, featuring names like Simon Cowell and Alfred Hitchcock. How can I be so sure of its star-studded status? I lived there until I was 30.
My hometown has been the home of Elstree Studios since 1914. Over the decades, it has helped create some of cinema's biggest blockbusters, including Star Wars, The Avengers, and The King's Speech. More recently, the hit musical Wicked was filmed at the state-of-the-art Sky Studios, which opened in March 2023.
During that filming, actor Jonathan Bailey revealed in a BBC Radio 1 interview that he treated his co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to fish and chips at a local favourite, the Golden Plaice. This was the same chippy where my parents picked up our weekly Sunday night takeaway, cooked in matzo meal. The news that a global superstar like Ariana had visited our local haunt was almost unbelievable.
An Everyday Reality of Celebrity Encounters
While an A-lister of that calibre is unusual, celebrity sightings are standard in Borehamwood. Elstree Studios is also home to major TV productions like Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice, EastEnders, and The Crown. It was never strange to see an EastEnders actor on the high street or at the train station.
My own first brush with fame came in 2002, aged 11, when the entire Slater family from EastEnders walked into the local McDonald's. I grew up with a mindset, instilled by my mum, to respect celebrities' everyday lives. This led to many un-documented encounters:
- Seeing the late June Brown (Dot Cotton) doing her weekly shop in Tesco.
- Chatting with Steps star Faye Tozer in a nail bar before a Strictly show.
- Stopping my car to let Sir Tom Jones cross the road while he was filming The Voice.
Living close to the studios had its perks. Through audience ticket websites, I appeared in the crowds for shows like Dancing On Ice and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show that truly defined the town in the 2000s was Big Brother; my friends and I would queue for evictions, and I even made it onto Big Brother's Little Brother during the 2010 final.
Peeking Behind the Scenes and the Future of Elstree
Although Elstree is a secure working studio, locals get glimpses of the magic. Walking my dog in Maxwell Park, I could often see The Crown's Downing Street set through the trees. Some residents have homes backing onto the Albert Square set, watching Christmas decorations go up in August.
Occasionally, sets open to the public, and I've been fortunate to tour both the EastEnders lot and the Big Brother house. The future looks even brighter for fans: funding was approved last year for a permanent immersive Elstree Studios experience, set to open in December 2026.
This attraction, using holographics and virtual production, aims to rival the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in nearby Watford. If it captures even half the excitement of growing up surrounded by film and television in Borehamwood, it will be something truly special. Who needs LA when you have this slice of Hollywood in Hertfordshire?
