WEST Bay was again the star as the cameras returned for the filming of the second series of Broadchurch.

The star-studded cast and crew set up their production base in the car park next to the West Bay Hotel on Wednesday morning.

Filming began shortly after 10.30am as Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker and Charlotte Beaumont – who play Mark, Beth and Chloe Latimer – were captured on camera driving around West Bay and Bridport.

David Tennant and Olivia Colman arrived at the base shortly afterwards, greeting other members of the cast with a warm embrace.

There was a lot of waiting around for the cast as the weather took a turn for the worse.

Filming restarted shortly after midday when it brightened up, with Tennant, Colman and Hollywood legend Charlotte Rampling filming in a house in West Cliff.

Tennant, who plays DI Alec Hardy, and Colman, who plays DS Ellie Miller, were filmed walking up the coast path to the west of West Bay, before being led into a house by Rampling.

Show bosses are remaining tight-lipped about the plot but have confirmed that Rampling will play a ‘pivotal’ role.

The first series of the Bafta award-winning drama was a massive hit, averaging more than nine million viewers an episode and it triggered a tourism boom in the area.

Business owners spoke of their excitement ahead of the second series hitting the screens.

Steve Tucker, who runs Cafe Ellipse, said: “I am pleased they are back filming in West Bay.

“We have had quite a few people come in already asking about the filming, and in turn asking lots of questions about the area and where they will be filming.

“It is going to be great for Bridport and West Bay and hopefully all along the Dorset Coast. It’s been a bit quiet around here over the past few weeks so hopefully this will give it a boost.”

Julian and Sue Smith run the Helmet City bike shop next to the location of the police station in the first series.
Mrs Smith said: “We are all really pleased to see them back.

“Broadchurch really took off, probably more than we all thought it would, so it’s great for us that it is coming back.

“People are coming to West Bay and Bridport for Broad-church, but when they get here they really get sucked in by the lovely atmosphere, so it will hopefully give us another boost.

“It was also really good for local people to see where they live on the television in a show and know where it was filmed and that will happen again, which is brilliant.”

Tim Attrill helps run the Harbour News with his father Richard, a filming location in the first series.

Ahead of filming, they put a spoof script in the shop window which sees Jack Marshall, who was a murder suspect in the first series, wake up and declare that the first series had been a dream.

Tim said: “Last year we put up a lot of posters and thought we’d carry it on this year when the filming came back.

“We have had people coming in asking us if it actually is the real script but it’s just a bit of fun and is not the actual script.

“It’s really good though, it keeps people talking about the show and we have had so many people taking photos of it, it’s a great bit of fun.”

Broadchurch superfan Becca Overton travelled to West Bay from Lyme Regis to try and get a glimpse of the filming in action.

“I had to come down and have a look.

“It’s such a good show and I am so pleased that not only will it be set here but they are doing a lot of the filming for it here as well. It’s great for the area.”