Students at Brasenose College expressed their frustration last week after scenes for a forthcoming sequel to My Fault: London were shot on the College’s grounds. At the time of filming some students were still sitting their preliminary exams.
Filming began on Monday 23rd June, with production crews descending on key locations, including the Old Quad, Porters’ Lodge, and Brasenose Hall.
The film crew occupied the College on Tuesday 24th June, with the Hall closed for filming between 7.30am and 11.30am. As a result, the College’s breakfast service was reduced to takeaway only. Several staircases and public access routes were affected, causing what one student described as “a surreal and noisy detour” on the way to the library.
Thursday brought further disruption, with the College’s library closed between 7am and 8.30am. Compounding the disruption was a 120-student Literature Study Day scheduled at the same time – which saw students, extras, and visitors gathered on Old Quad, something normally forbidden. Scenes filmed in Deer Park and New Quad also led to intermittent delays.
One first-year student told Cherwell: “I had an exam on Thursday, and I couldn’t revise in the library that morning,” whilst another added: “It’s hard to understand why it had to happen during ninth week. For some of us, this is the most stressful time of the year.”
Students were informed about the filming in advance through an email from Brasenose’s Domestic Bursar. The Bursar stressed that “we [the College] are very conscious that this is still term time and some students still have exams”, thanking those members of the College “who have helped us plan this disruption in a way that minimises the impact on our students”.
Despite College’s attempts to minimise disruption, several students expressed their frustration to Cherwell, with one noting that the filming “does raise important questions about the values of College: Does it care about its students, or is it only about making as much money as possible?
“When you can’t even talk without being shushed in a space that is meant to feel like your own, in the middle of one of the most stressful periods of your life, it really makes you question what College’s priorities are.”
The College Bursar told Cherwell that “the College always seeks to balance the need to generate income with the College’s primary academic purpose … We undertook an impact assessment within college before we agreed to the filming and decided we could accommodate it.
“Despite this planning, we underestimated the impact of the filming. We apologise to the members of College affected, particularly to students with exams at that time. As always, we are reviewing this event to understand any lessons for the future.”
The film, a sequel to a popular Amazon Prime film exploring a taboo romance between two step-siblings, is believed to feature scenes set in Oxford to capture the female protagonist’s university years.
This is not the first time in recent history that Brasenose has hosted filming crews. The College has featured in several titles including Emerald Fennell’s black comedy thriller Saltburn in 2023.