The commercial shoot was supported by the island’s film office

A commercial starring Idris Elba was shot on the Isle of Wight, showcasing two of the island’s dramatic locations.

The ad, for Sky Mobile, was filmed in October and arranged by the island’s film office, Filmwight. The Filmwight team organised temporary road closures, ferry travel, hotels and crew transport.

Elba is seen apparently being ejected from a bus on Military Road, with Freshwater Bay also providing a rugged backdrop. Many local organisations were involved in the shoot including Wightlink, Lobster Locations and talent agency Island People.

Location manager Hugo Bingham enthused about the island’s offering: “Creatively it was perfect, logistically it was very good, the Island team have been fantastic in helping us get a permit to control the traffic. The film office has been incredibly helpful, everything was very easy, it’s one of the easiest places I’ve found to film.”

Film officer Dave Russell liaised with the crew to ease some of the logistics. “With the production staying at The Albion Hotel in Freshwater, early starts weren’t needed as they were already at the location. Military Road was closed less than 15 minutes at a time, so it didn’t impact residents but ensured public safety, which is paramount.”

The Isle of Wight is an increasingly film-friendly destination with productions in recent years including ITV thriller The Beast Must Die and comedy The Cockfields.

The island’s appeal is set to grow further with the development of Medina Studios in East Cowes, that will house four sound stages and could offer marina filming opportunities due to the waterside location. Planning approval was granted in the autumn, subject to conditions.