When Shaun Evans drove away from Blenheim Palace in a black Jaguar, driving past John Thaw's iconic purple Jaguar, it was an emotional ending for the Inspector Morse spin-off.

The ending to series nine - the last ever - was the latest example of the Woodstock stately home taking a starring role in the movies.

For decades, film directors have chosen to use the palace and its grounds for location shoots and the trend looks set to continue.

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The palace website says: "Blenheim Palace is the perfect backdrop, from blockbusters to weather hits. We are always open to suggestions and filming opportunities.

"We are a small, efficient and flexible team who are happy to work with any size crews, from large feature films to early morning weather hits.

"We welcome all filming interest."

This is Oxfordshire:

Movies filmed at the palace include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Spectre the James Bond movie, Transformers, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Cinderella, Gulliver's Travels, as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

For the Amazon movie Cinderella in 2021, both the interior and exterior of the palace were featured extensively.

Written and directed by Kay Cannon, Cinderella starred Camila Cabello as the heroine alongside Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Nicholas Galitzine, Billy Porter, and Pierce Brosnan.

This is Oxfordshire: Pierce Brosnan in Cinderella

The star-studded production was a musically-driven bold new take on the traditional story.

It was produced by Leo Pearlman, James Corden, Jonathan Kadin and Shannon McIntosh, and executive produced by Louise Rosner and Josephine Rose.

The stately home also appeared in the teaser for Spectre, which came out in 2015.

Daniel Craig was seen in the trailer racing through the grounds of the palace while under fire from gunmen.

And there was controversy in 2016 when director of the Transformers film Michael Bay decked Blenheim Palace out in Nazi flags.

As well as the flags, the grounds of the palace were filled with actors dressed in SS stormtroopers uniforms.

This is Oxfordshire: Tallulah Greive in Cinderella

For some scenes in The Young Victoria (2008), Blenheim doubled for Buckingham Palace while, in the same film, it became the Laeken Palace where King Leopold holds conversations with Prince Albert about the young Victoria, played by Emily Blunt.

One of the most fantastic portrayals of the palace came in Gulliver’s Travels in 2010 - for many film fans seeing Jack Black as Gulliver looming over the monumental buildings was unforgettable. 

Areas available for filming include the palace state rooms and courtyards, and its parks and gardens.

These include formal landscaped gardens including the Rose Garden, the Walled Garden and Secret Garden, and water fountains and terraces and a large maze.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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