The Barley Mow, Studio Set.

There has been much debate about the interior shots of ‘The Barley Mow’ and if the inside was actually used or a studio. I have asked Shane and Tim Spall, and Tim’s answer was that it was half and half. I think he means the outside was used obviously, and the inside was a studio. When watching the show, it does actually look and feel like a studio set, and I have put together some screen shots and pictures of the interior of ‘The Windmill’ to finally prove it was actually a studio. Here we have the real pub, and the set as used in Series 2. You can notice many similarities, but one of the main differences is headroom, and also the original fireplace is nothing like the one on screen. Room heights are the biggest difference, as Jimmy Nail easily stands up in the scene below, but would most probably crack his head on the ceiling. There was also talk of the floor being leveled for shooting, and this would have taken away the step, and made the headroom even less. Remember the scene of Bomber standing playing the Fruit Machine? I don’t think so! (He was 6’5”) Picture below. If you need more proof, take a look at these interior shots from 1986, click here. Update: If you attended the 2014 Fan Gathering you will no doubt remember the ‘Barley Mow Studio Plans’ kindly brought to us by Deborah Kerby who was an Assistant Set Designer on Series 2. More on that soon! Copyright: The following images, articles and text are copyright awpet.com.