The south Cheshire town and a local American football team will be in the spotlight in a new blockbuster film with an all-star cast. Emma Mayoh reports

Many of Cheshire’s most beautiful locations have been captured on film. Vast country estates have been immortalised in BBC adaptations, schools have featured in Hollywood films and even people’s homes have been used for television programmes and on the silver screen.

And it is now Crewe’s turn to be in the spotlight. Gridiron UK tells the story of a local American football team the Crewe Railroaders. It’s been written and produced by Gary Delaney, who grew up in the town and is based on his experiences of trying to found the team.

All the filming will take place in Crewe, at locations including the King George V Playing Fields and the Cumberland Sports Ground. Gary is also hoping to transform buildings around the town, including The Meredith Centre, into studios to build sets inside.

He said: ‘I was absolutely obsessed with American football at the time. I had heard of a few teams setting up around the country and I wanted to do it myself. But by no means is this just a film about American football. This is about one man’s dream to finally achieve something in his life.

‘I’d tried every get rich quick scheme I could think of and I just wanted to prove to myself that I could succeed at something. With the film I wanted to be able to showcase Crewe not just as a great place but also as somewhere that is capable of accommodating a �2 million budget feature film.’

Several high profile actors have already signed up to appear in Gridiron UK including Andrew Lee Potts, star of Primeval, and comedians Johnny Vegas and Helen Lederer. Former Girls Aloud member-turned-actress Sarah Harding is involved too, as is rising star Charlotte Salt and actor singer Paul Nicholas. Discussions are also underway with two big-name Hollywood actors.

There is an impressive list of people involved behind the scenes too, including Ed Bye, the creative talent behind BBC comedies like The Vicar of Dibley, Absolutely Fabulous and My Family. Gary has produced the film with the help of former Starsky and Hutch actor David Soul and executive producer Gareth Jones has financed and sold dozens of independent feature films including cult classic Withnail and I. Filming is due to start next month and will take around seven weeks and it is hoped Gridiron UK will be released early next year.

Gary, who used to work as a coach builder and illustrator at Rolls Royce, has spent more than five years trying to get his film this far and he plans, once the film is finished, to set up a permanent studio in Crewe. ‘I can’t quite believe it’s all happening,’ he said. ‘It’s taken a lot of years for me, with the help of the right people, to get the film going. I am so incredibly excited about it and I can’t wait to start filming.

‘I don’t want other people to come up against the struggles I have. It’s hard trying to get get started. Filming doesn’t always have to be in London and I want local students to have opportunities near to them. I’m hoping Gridiron UK will really put Crewe on the map and make people realise you can make films in the north of England.’

The Crewe Railroaders have recently been reformed and although Gary has now hung up his shoulder pads, he is heavily involved with the team.‘It’s great the Railroaders are back together again. The team is like a family and I’m really pleased they are playing matches again. They’ve already played a few and they are hoping to play in the league next season.

‘A lot of people used to come to watch the team - they would come in their thousands sometimes. I hope the film will bring back some happy memories for people who remember those days.’

On location in Cheshire

The county has been used as a backdrop for many television shows and films. Here are some of them.

Arley Hall: This historic hall near Northwich has been used as a location for several television programmes and films including The Forsythe Saga, numerous Coronation Street weddings and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

St Bede's College: This Manchester college is becoming increasingly popular with film companies. Award-winning television dramas like BBC programme The Street have used the school as a location and recent blockbuster West is West was also filmed here. Many of the school's pupils have also been extras.

Lyme Park: Probably one of the more famous locations due to Colin Firth's emergence from a lake in the grounds of this incredible estate. The hall and park was featured as Pemberley in the BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice.

Cranford: None of this popular series was filmed in Cheshire but Cranford was based on Knutsford. The programmes were adapted from three novellas by Elizabeth Gaskell who lived in the town with her aunt throughout her childhood.

Tatton Park: This beautiful Knutsford estate has provided a stunning backdrop to some of television's top dramas including Brideshead Revisited, Casanova, Moll Flanders and Cold Feet.

Private homes: Several residents across Cheshire, Wirral and North Wales have opened their homes to film crews. Everything from adverts and music videos to photo shoots and television programmes have been shot around our county.