ONE OF the most popular tourist attractions in East Hampshire has played a starring role in a ‘Horrible’ movie.

Much of the Horrible Histories The Movie – Rotten Romans which opened in cinemas last Friday was filmed at Butser Ancient Farm last September.

The farm’s Roman Villa, Iron Age roundhouses and livestock all have starring roles in the movie.

The film, which stars Nick Frost, Alexander Armstrong, Sir Derek Jacobi and Kim Cattrall among others, follows the story of a reluctant Roman soldier called Atti and a young Celt called Orla who dreams of becoming the next Boudicca.

Set against a backdrop of Celtic-inspired rebellion to Roman rule, the question remains: will they forge a friendship or end up on opposite sides?

The farm was closed to the public for two weeks while filming took place according to creative developer, Rachel Bingham.

She said: “We were in the middle of our Roman villa renovation so they didn’t film inside but they filmed outside and put in things like a big fountain in front.

“They also filmed inside the Iron Age roundhouse but they fabricated a few houses of their own and made a Roman road.

“Because we were closed it gave us the chance to get on with a few projects but we often stopped to watch filming. At one point we were watching one of the scenes and we were quietly giggling and afterwards Nick Frost gave us a thumbs up.

“They were all really lovely and I think they enjoyed being here on the farm because it was a nice week and a nice environment to be in.”

The Horrible Histories film was the second major production to be shot at the Chalton venue last summer as filming for the Sky Atlantic show Britannia took place over a weekend in May.

It’s also starred in Dr Who and multiple documentaries – Channel 5 and The Smithsonian Channel have both filmed at the farm in recent months – while Youtube footage of a young Ben Affleck visiting the farm can be found on the attraction’s website. “We’re trying to get a date together so we can go as a group and watch it,” said Rachel, adding: “I love Horrible Histories and all of its songs – I think it’s great.”