Amazon spotted filming at Maidenhead landmarks

Maidenhead Town Hall was transformed into an Italian school this week as Amazon film crews descended on the town’s landmarks for a major production.

Camera crews were spotted at the town hall, in St Ives Road, and at All Saints Church in Boyn Hill today (Thursday).

Amazon MGM Studios remained tight-lipped when contacted by the Advertiser for information about the filming, but it is understood it is for the second season of globe-trotting spy thriller Citadel, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra.

Amazon announced Citadel would be the first project filmed at Bray Film Studios following its multi-million-pound purchase of the historic site earlier this year.

Production of the series started in September and film crews were also spotted in London earlier this week.

On Wednesday, work took place to transform the town hall into what appeared to be an Italian school ahead of filming.

An Italian flag fluttered in the wind above the hall and a blue sign appeared reading ‘Scuola Primaria San Vincenzo: dove nasce la curiosita e cresce il talento’.

Translated from Italian, it means: “San Vincenzo Primary School: where curiosity is born and talent grows.”

The town hall is no stranger to camera crews. It famously doubled as a hospital for Carry on Doctor in the 1960s.

Shooting was also taking place around All Saints Church in Boyn Hill, where a large contingent of filmmakers were spotted on Thursday morning.

Maidenhead Library could also feature in the project – Rio Deli Café in the library confirmed it was closed on Wednesday and Thursday to allow Amazon filming to take place.

Road restriction notices were posted online over the two days of filming, advising Bastion Productions were filming in the area. The production company is understood to be involved with Amazon Studios in the production of Citadel.

Streaming giant Amazon released a spin off from Citadel – set in Italy – called Citadel: Diana, in October – and parts of its first season were also set in Italy.

Richard Madden, known for the BBC Bodyguard series, plays one of the show’s leading characters, while Priyanka Chopra has starred in a string of Bollywood hits and Hollywood films such as The Matrix Resurrections.

Stanley Tucci also appears as a central character in the Citadel spy network.

It was reported that the almost £250million budget for Citadel season one was, in 2023, the second biggest TV show budget of all time.

Amazon MGM Studios and the Royal Borough were approached for comment.

Part of the filming set outside Maidenhead Town Hall.