CEMETERY JUNCTION

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GB
2010
1hr 35mins
Dirs: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
Starring: Christian Cooke and Felicity Jones

The lives of three young working class friends in 1970s suburban Reading

This decent coming of age comedy drama has some excellent railway scenes. Cemetery Junction is set in a small town in 1973. Gervais explained that the title of the film was taken from Cemetery Junction, Reading, an area he knew as a child – an actual road junction in Reading, where the Wokingham Road diverges from the London Road. Despite this, no part of the film was shot in the Berkshire town and all the railway scenes used the Great Central Railway. Loughborough Central station features prominently throughout as ‘Cemetery Junction’ station. There is a shot of the frontage and a number of scenes filmed in the station’s café. The first railway scene features a track walk involving the three boys and a train is passing formed of carmine & cream-liveried BR Mk1 coaching stock hauled by Class 47 No. D1705 Sparrowhawk. Another rake of maroon-liveried Mk1s is visible in the background and the Class 47 appears later in another platform scene. The departing train at the end is also formed of maroon Mk1 coaching stock (two vehicles of which are SO No.4788 and TSO No.4982), and the film ends with a very good run by of Class 45 ‘Peak’ No. D123 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry with another train of maroon Mk.1s. This shot was in part reused three years later in the 2013 movie The Railway Man (qv).

One of the opening scenes of the film shows a blatant act of trespass by the three main characters. As they walk towards the camera a train crawls past on the left, hauled by Class 47 D1705 Sparrowhawk. This is the approach to Loughborough Central station.
This is the frontage of Loughborough Central station, playing the title role of ‘Cemetery Junction’, seen a number of times in the movie.
This is one of many shots of Loughborough Central station platform, with the cafe playing a pivotal role in several scenes
Jack Doolan and Bryony Hannah discuss a future together on a bench at Cemetery Junction. Note D1705 Sparrowhawk in the background.
The film ends with a run-by of Class 45 ‘Peak’ D123 Leicestershire & Derbyshire Yeomanry on a train. First it is viewed passing under Rushey Lane bridge near Swithland, a shot reused in the 2013 film The Railway Man.
A shot then followed by a view of the train taken from the bridge as it proceeds off into the distance.