A Christmas blockbuster starring famous actors has seen a trendy Brixton hang-out transformed into a film set.
‘Jingle Bell Heist’ starring Sex Education’s (2019) Connor Swindells and co-star Olivia Holt was shooting at the Loughborough Hotel, Brixton, on Wednesday, January 24.
The film reportedly tells the story of two strangers who unite to rob a department store only to accidentally fall in love.
Passers-by may have been shocked to see fake police cars and crowds of extras humming around the streets.
Fortunately, two genuine Metropolitan Police advisers were on hand to reassure any confused local residents.
The filming location, the Loughborough Hotel, is an Edwardian former entertainment venue built around 1900.
Nowadays it hosts the San Mei Gallery and the quaint Annapurna Café making it a hotspot among the Brixton arts crowd.
Set designers reconstructed the building as what appeared to be a festive shop front with mannequins and wrapped gifts in the windows.
Bright lights were strewn across the walls and Christmas trees erected to complete the look.
It’s one of roughly a dozen film locations across London being used, including ones in Eltham and Bow.
British actor Connor Swindells, who recently appeared in Barbie (2023) as Aaron Dinkins has been cast.
He will star alongside Tennessee-born Olivia Holt, known for her parts in a host of Disney series.
During the shoot, Evandale Road and parts of Loughborough Road and Crowhurst Close were closed to traffic.