JK Rowlings’ – ‘The Casual (BISF) Vacancy’ BBC Drama Set – Bristol

A neglected BISF house in Bristol recently became the fictional home of a Heroin addict, in the BBC adaptation of JK Rowlings’, The Casual Vacancy.

45 Silbury Road was turned into the Drug Den home of Single Mum, Krystal Weedon and her Heroin addict Mother last year by film crews, filming scenes for the three part drama, which aired in February 2015,

The story line centered around the troubled fictional village of Pagford, where residents both rich and poor lived in perpetual conflict.

The production team went to great lengths to find the right property in which house the family, choosing the very shabby, 45 Silbury Road as the drug dependent characters’ on screen address. Despite the majority of the drama being filmed some 60 miles away in the Cotswolds, producers chose the Bisley Estate in Stroud, to portray the novels’ fictional housing estate ” The Fields”.

Whilst watching the drama unfold, viewers were drawn into the seedy lifestyle of a heroin addict and the effect her drug taking had on the family as a whole. Various scenes were shot inside almost every room of the house, depicting a syringe filled home of horrific squalor, and a daughters’ battle to get her Mum off drugs.

In reality, 45 Silbury Road is one of only a handful of properties had not been modernised under the local councils’ home improvement scheme. The scheme saw the majority of the Council owned BISF houses externally renovated, thus dramatically changing the overall look and feel of the street.

The problem is, that it would be easy for the average viewer to assume that all BISF Houses may have similar interiors to that depicted in the TV drama. Of course, we know otherwise, but in case anyone had any doubts, take a look at the images below.

The first set of images are screenshots of the interior of the house, depicted in the BBC TV drama.
Out of interest, 45 Silbury Road was sold for £83.000 in May 2014.

Below, you will see a selection of images from a BISF property that was listed for sale also on Silbury Road. . This property, which was recently offered for sale by CJ Hole Estate Agents, sold for £220.000.

I think you will agree, that the difference between the two properties is simply astounding.

Are you a resident from the Silbury Road area, if so what are your thoughts on the BBC Drama?

Please share your comments and views below.