A Great Yarmouth hotel is the latest ‘local’ to land a role in the new Danny Boyle film - playing the part of its seaside ‘double’ across the river.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: The Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth is the latest location for the Danny Boyle Beatles movie being shot at multiple locations across East Anglia Photo: Liz CoatesThe Imperial Hotel in Great Yarmouth is the latest location for the Danny Boyle Beatles movie being shot at multiple locations across East Anglia Photo: Liz Coates (Image: Liz Coates)

The Oscar winning director, dozens of crew, 45 cast, and some 120 extras descended on the Imperial Hotel in North Drive this morning, to film a press conference scene in the hotel’s Sandown Suite.

Hotel owner Nick Mobbs said they had stripped out the function room and curtains, taken out the lights and put in some more movie-friendly ones.

He said the stars of the movie Downton Abbey’s Lily James and EastEnders’ Himesh Patel were on set.

And he understood his hotel was doubling for the Pier Hotel in Gorleston, close to the beach where a concert scene is being filmed with a 5000-strong local audience.Mr Mobbs said a scout first visited four or five months ago.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Danny Boyle visited East Norfolk Sixth Form College to talk to students and teachers about his latest project and the art of filmmaking Picture: East Norfolk Sixth Form CollegeDanny Boyle visited East Norfolk Sixth Form College to talk to students and teachers about his latest project and the art of filmmaking Picture: East Norfolk Sixth Form College (Image: Archant)

Some time later two or three people came, then Mr Boyle visited to check it out, and then finally around 40 more technicians cast their eyes over the location.

Yesterday (Tuesday) scissor lifts were installed at the Wellesley to beam the right lights into the conference room.

Guests at the hotel were reportedly fascinated by what was going on.

“Most people are really interested,” he said.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A drone flies over the Pier Hotel ahead of the crash scenes to be filmed by Danny Boyle.Picture: Anthony CarrollA drone flies over the Pier Hotel ahead of the crash scenes to be filmed by Danny Boyle.Picture: Anthony Carroll (Image: Archant)

“I have been here 30 years but this is the first proper movie we have had being filmed.”

“What amazes me is the amount of equipment and people needed to make a film. I just never knew they had to do so much to create so little.

“Now you can see why they are so expensive to make. They are keeping it pretty secret about what the storyline is. All I know is it something about the Beatles.

“We were concerned they would just take over but they have been pretty respectful. They are actually pretending it’s the Pier Hotel but it wont be called that in the film. The location is imaginary.”

He added that Danny Boyle himself was “charming” .