The Radio Times is currently running a competition asking its readers to vote for their favourite TV location of 2016 and Majorca is in the running thanks to the hit series The Night Manager which was partly filmed in various of the island’s most spectacular locations.
One of the joys of TV is that it can transport viewers to the other side of the world at the push of a button, or remind them that there are some jaw-dropping destinations on the doorstep.
The Radio Times has come up with a short list of the 10 dramas with the most spectacular locations to choose from.
There’s The Durrells with its gorgeous Corfu backdrop and Sky 1’s Hooten & the Lady, which jetted off to Moscow, Rome and Cambodia.
Last January, War & Peace whisked viewers back to early 19th century Russia, while The Night Manager saw Tom Hiddleston on the trail of a weapons dealer in the Middle East and Europe – remember Richard Roper’s palatial lair in Majorca - La Fortaleza which guards the Port of Pollensa.
Then there are the old favourites.
Time-travelling adventure Outlander went to Paris, and the Spanish city of Girona doubled as Essos and Westeros in
Game of Thrones.
Britain’s coastline also had plenty of cameos.
Did viewers lust after the coves and cliffs in Poldark or the South Devon-set daytime drama The Coroner?
Or Vera, with its lingering shots of the Northumberland coast?
Last but not least, they had to include Caribbean crime drama Death in Paradise, filmed on the French island of Guadeloupe, which will soon begin its sixth series.
TV series and films do have an influence on people when it comes to booking a holiday.
Every year, the Association of British Travel Agents, ABTA, releases a report on how certain productions, especially movies, are expected to influence the tourist industry.
Traditionally the Bond films, famous for using some of the world’s most beautiful locations, have been the most influential, but more recently blockbusters like Lord of the Rings have given New Zealand’s tourist industry a huge boost and countries know just how beneficial being used a film location can be.
That is one of the main reasons so many destinations offer fiscal incentives to film productions because they provide priceless promotion.
Sadly, the Balearics has yet to agree on offering tax breaks to help attract more productions.