Take That Fans Take a Shine to Clitheroe After Top Movie Release

A selfie trail based on the film is flying off the shelves, while one Clitheroe town centre cafe, which was a location during filming, has been visited by groups of Take That fans from across Lancashire, including Burnley and Cleveleys.

And the town’s chamber of trade said plans are now in the wings for an outdoor screening of Greatest Days at the Clitheroe Castle bandstand, alongside a performance by a Take That tribute band and community singalong.

Greatest Days, which received a global premiere in June, was filmed at numerous locations in Clitheroe and the surrounding countryside, culminating in a huge song and dance number featuring hundreds of people in the town centre.

And Ribble Valley Borough Council, which helped bring the film to Clitheroe and assisted production company Elysian Films during the 10-day shoot, launched a series of initiatives marking the film’s nationwide release.

Cast and crew from the film, including director Coky Giedroyc and the actors and dancers who play the boy band, helped Ribble Valley Mayor Mark Hindle unveil a huge gold star at Clitheroe Market, the scene of one of the film’s many spectacular song and dance numbers.

The gold star marks the start of a Greatest Days ‘selfie trail’ taking in some of the film’s locations, which has been downloaded over 500 times, with over 2,000 paper copies flying off the shelves.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson said: “I was delighted to attend the cast and crew screening of Greatest Days in Clitheroe prior to the nationwide release.

“It received a standing ovation and the audience was delighted with its laugh-out-loud moments and amazing song and dance numbers.

“Greatest Days has introduced Clitheroe to a global audience and our anecdotal research reveals the film is attracting people who have never visited the town before, as well as people who visited some time ago and have been inspired to return. 

“Our officers worked hard to secure the film and the Filming in England Partnership aims to make the council’s successful approach a best practice case study. 

“We are delighted with our legacy from Greatest Days and Take That fans can be assured of a warm Ribble Valley welcome over the coming months and years as they visit Clitheroe to see for themselves some of the film’s delightful locations.”

Lucy Greenhalgh, president of the Clitheroe Chamber of Trade, added: “We are  constantly looking for ways to boost footfall in Clitheroe and a screening of Greatest Days on the castle bandstand along with a community singalong would be fantastic.

“We could even recreate the film’s final song and dance number or have a huge conga in the town centre – how ‘great’ would that be!”

Greatest Days is based on the stage musical, The Band, about a group of women who reunite after 25 years to see their favourite band.

The film is directed by multi-BAFTA-winning Coky Giedroyc (How to Build a Girl) and written by Tim Firth (The Band, Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots).

It stars Aisling Bea, Alice Lowe, Jayde Adams, Amaka Okafor and Marc Wootton, along with boy band Aaron Bryan, Dalvin Cory, Joshua Jung, Mark Samaras and Mervin Noronha.

Described as ‘a feelgood universal story of love and friendship’, it introduces five schoolgirls – Rachel, Heather, Zoe, Claire and Debbie – who live in Clitheroe and have the night of their lives at a concert featuring their favourite boyband.

Twenty-five years later their lives have changed in a myriad of ways, as they reunite to reminisce about their past and discover their future.

Greatest Days has received positive reviews since its nationwide release and described by one national film critic as ‘a joyous crowd-pleaser’.

It can be seen at cinemas across the UK, including the Everyman in Clitheroe.

To download your copy of the selfie trail please visit - https://www.visitribblevalley.co.uk/download/greatest-days-selfie-trail/