American comedy series with all-star Hollywood cast filming in Blackpool - updates

Yesterday (Tuesday, April 19), film crews were busy shooting scenes at a hair salon in Empress Drive, with Australian star Cate Blanchett rumoured to be taking part in the shoot.

The production has been kept under wraps and the crew have stayed tight-lipped about which famous actors are filming in the resort.

But today (Wednesday, April 20), the Gazette can reveal that crews are in town to film an episode for a hit US comedy series.

Documentary Now! is an American mockumentary TV series from the producers of long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live.

It’s a cult show in the US – and popular in the UK too (available on Prime) – which remakes famous documentary films in a comedic style.

Starring Fred Armisen (Portlandia) and Bill Hader (Barry, Anchorman), the parody show boasts guest appearances by some of Hollywood’s biggest names.

Helen Mirren also appears at the beginning of each episode to introduce the "classic" documentary that the audience is about to see.

The show has been nominated for six Emmy Awards during its run and has been met with strong critical acclaim.

Among the famous names to star in past episodes are Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson, Michael Keaton, Jack Black, Anne Hathaway and screen legends Peter Fonda, Mia Farrow and Faye Dunaway.

They are currently filming a fourth season which is due to air in both the US and UK later this year,

What documentary is the Blackpool episode spoofing?

The episode will be a spoof of a 1994 BBC documentary called Three Salons at the Seaside, a touching and funny fly-on-the-wall about elderly ladies at a Blackpool hairdressers.

It is being parodied as Two Hairdressers In Bagglyport, about a hair salon owner and her staff in the fictional coastal village of Bagglyport as they prepare their yearly stylebook.

Where are they filming?

Scenes for the hairdressers are being filmed at Salon K, at the corner of Empress Drive and Holmfield Road in North Shore, which has been renamed Salon de Edwina for the episode.

Because it is set in the 1990s, crews are having to briefly close the road to traffic when filming to avoid any modern cars appearing in the shots.

Traffic and pedestrians are being held at intervals for around three minutes whilst shooting takes place between 8am and 7pm until Friday (April 22).

Which famous actors are on set in Blackpool?

It was rumoured that Cate Blanchett – who starred in a previous episode – was scheduled to film in the resort, but we have yet to catch sight of the Academy Award winner.

And fellow Oscar winner Helen Mirren, who has hosted all 20 episodes of the hit show, was also rumoured to be making an appearance in the resort.

But they have yet to be spotted by our eagle-eyed photographer, who will bring you the latest pictures as filming continues this week.