The Oscar nominated BAFTA winning Four Weddings and a Funeral was directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis. It was the first of four successful films for Curtis and saw Hugh Grant in the leading role for each one. The film tells the tale of a group of friends who all wonder if they will ever find true love. Charles (Hugh Grant) falls for a glamorous American, Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding. He then meets her again at a series of formal occasions. In terms of film/TV tourism Four Weddings and a Funeral has been ‘credited’ with changing perceptions of the UK, especially in the US. The result of the almost ‘re-branding’ associated with Richard Curtis’ films has contributed to the UK ‘screen effect’ statistics according to research carried out in 2007 which illustrated that many visitors are influenced in a general way to visit a country by the images of it presented on screen. Made for a modest $6 million, Four Weddings and a Funeral went on to take around $260 million worldwide and became, for a while, the highest grossing British film. It also made Hugh Grant a star. The Crown Hotel in Amersham (not in the East of England) was fully booked for a year after the film’s release and until 2007 was still receiving enquiries to stay in the same room as Andie McDowell and Hugh Grant.

Release / Airing: 13/05/1994