Lights, Camera, Thames; our 2025 filming wrap-up

2025 was a big year for the PLA filming department, managing everything from specialist stunts and global brands to blockbuster premieres. 

We are really pleased to share some of the highlights… First, a spectacular marketing stunt promoting Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Projections lit up landmarks like the BFI IMAX, Tate Modern, and City Hall, and we approved the drone filming for this.

We approved filming for the BBC drama Lucy Worsley: Victorian Murder Club. The production explored historical crime through a modern lens, using the Thames to help bring Victorian London to life once again, and most filming took place on the foreshore. 

July saw the anticipated E1 London Showrun stunt, with high-performance electric speedboats racing along the Thames. It was a striking and energetic use of the river and gave a glimpse of what future racing events in London could look like.  

We approved one of the summer’s biggest marketing moments: The Biggest Goal. Puma transformed Tower Bridge into a giant goal by floating a massive 10.5-metre inflatable football through its iconic structure, with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers “scoring” the first goal to launch Puma as the new official Premier League ball provider. A truly unforgettable sight on the Thames. 

We also hosted filming for ITV’s new reality entertainment series The Box, hosted by Gary Lineker. Ten well-known faces including Sara Davies, Graeme Souness, Ellie Taylor, John Bercow and Joey Essex took part, with one of the challenges using a vessel on the Thames as a filming location. 
 
We ended the year in spectacular fashion with the Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere. Working closely with the Harbour Master team, we approved a major activation on the river to mark the occasion. It was a fitting finale to a remarkable year. 

A huge amount of work goes into ensuring these activations, filming projects and events happen safely. Without our incredible Harbour Master team, none of this would be possible. A massive thank you for their unwavering commitment to keeping the river safe while supporting the film industry on the iconic River Thames.  

Plenty of other exciting filming projects take place too but of course, they must remain under wraps until they are released!   

Here’s to another fantastic year of filming in 2026.

Image credit: Electric Sheep Events