Mark Addy and Russell Tovey Lead Dark Holiday Comedy 'First Christmas,' Filming in Shropshire in Fall 2026

A darkly comic holiday drama with a genuinely impressive British ensemble is heading to Shropshire, England for a fall 2026 shoot, and crew based in the West Midlands should be paying close attention. First Christmas, a feature film from director Keith Wilhelm Kopp and writer Laurence Guy, has entered pre-production with principal photography scheduled to begin in September 2026. The project is produced by Luke Allen through his Shropshire-based outfit Ask Seek Knock, with the British Film Institute already on board as a development and production partner, which signals meaningful institutional backing for an independent British feature of this scale.

The film centers on a widowed father who brings his three grown children and their extended families together for Christmas, attempting to repair fractured relationships in the shadow of his late wife, a chef who made the holiday meaningful for the whole family. The blend of grief, dark humor, and family dysfunction puts this squarely in the tradition of character-driven British ensemble comedy-dramas, and the cast assembled to bring it to life is one of the stronger lineups you will see attached to an independent UK feature at this stage. Mark Addy, best known internationally for his work in Game of Thrones and The Full Monty, leads as the widowed patriarch. Russell Tovey, a television stalwart with credits spanning Years and Years, Being Human, and Looking, joins the ensemble alongside Eleanor Tomlinson, who earned widespread recognition in Poldark and has since built a strong film and television resume. Dean-Charles Chapman, recognizable from Game of Thrones and Sam Mendes' 1917, rounds out the adult children alongside Yasmin Al-Khudhairi and comedian and writer Alex Horne. Ian McNeice, a prolific character actor with decades of British film and television credits, also appears. Casting director Amy Jackson is attached, which is the name agents and emerging talent should be noting if they are looking to get eyes on this project early.

The production sits behind Kopp and Guy's debut feature Translations, which earned a UK theatrical release and picked up festival awards, establishing the team's credibility and setting the tone for the kind of character-focused, dialogue-driven work they favor. That festival track record almost certainly helped secure BFI development support for First Christmas, and their return to feature filmmaking with a more commercially accessible ensemble piece and recognizable cast suggests a deliberate step up in scale. Executive producers Alyssa Roehrenbeck and Samuel Anderson are also on board, with Anderson notably appearing in the cast as well. Ask Seek Knock is a relatively young production company, but the BFI partnership and the caliber of talent already committed indicate this is a project with genuine institutional momentum behind it.

Financing is partially in place, with the production being presented at the Cannes Film Market in May 2026 to complete its funding structure. For crew reading this ahead of that milestone, it is worth understanding what that means practically: once financing closes post-Cannes, pre-production will move quickly toward the September cameras-up date. Department heads in the West Midlands and broader UK Midlands region should be positioning themselves now. The production has specifically noted a West Midlands-based crew, which is a strong signal that local hires will be prioritized across departments. Shropshire itself is a county with beautiful rural landscapes and period-appropriate architecture, making it a logical choice for a family Christmas drama with a grounded, intimate tone. While it does not have the extensive studio infrastructure of Manchester or London, the West Midlands as a whole has a growing production ecosystem supported by regional screen agencies, and the BFI's involvement often comes with expectations around local and regional hiring.

For crew assessing the scale and shape of this opportunity, First Christmas reads as a mid-budget British independent feature with union-level production values, driven by performance and location rather than VFX or large-scale action. That means the art and costume departments will carry significant weight in establishing the film's visual world, and a tight, experienced locations department will be essential for shooting efficiently across Shropshire's rural and village settings during the autumn-into-winter schedule. The intimate family drama format suggests a relatively contained but dense shooting schedule, the kind of production where a cohesive, communicative crew makes the difference. Given the holiday subject matter and a September start, the production will likely be shooting into November, potentially capturing actual autumnal and early winter light in the English countryside.

ProductionList.com will continue tracking First Christmas as financing closes and the crew list builds out through 2026. The full listing includes production contacts, company details, and scheduling updates that will be critical as the hiring pipeline opens in earnest. If you are a department head, coordinator, or location professional based in the West Midlands or available to work in Shropshire this autumn, this is the listing to bookmark and revisit regularly over the coming months.

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