STARS and crew from the film The Boat That Rocked have finished filming at Portland and re-located to London to finish the production.

Shooting took place in Portland Port, Lyme Regis and Kimmeridge throughout May and the filmmakers have told Weymouth and Portland Borough Council the location had been a success.

Council communications manager Jacqui Gisborne said the filmmakers will be recommending the area to others in the business after their trip.

She said: "Bill Nighy asked, 'How can I go back and live in London now that I have been here.' "He absolutely loved it down here and he was willing to be part of the local community and really got amongst it. They were totally over the moon with the way that people responded to them.

"Portland should be very proud that the cast and crew wanted to be out eating and drinking amongst the local residents.

"The director Richard Curtis was bowled over with the facilities at Portland Port so we did well considering it is a working port."

During May actors were seen across Weymouth in restaurants and cafes. At one stage in the shoot cast and crew, including extras, numbered more than 300.

It was estimated before filming began that it would bring £1.2 million into the local economy. Mrs Gisborne believes that figure may now look conservative and is hoping to welcome more films in the future.

Location manager Adam Richards, who has previously worked on Atonement, Calendar Girls and Bridget Jones's Diary, phoned her after the shoot.

Mrs Gisborne said: "He said we are definitely in his memory bank and that he will pass our details on to other location managers as we are professionally film friendly."

The film is scheduled for release in May, 2009.

Television crews will be replacing the film crews for the rest of the summer.

A BBC crew is filming new CBeebies programmes this week and Channel 5 were also here on Wednesday for a new programme about Edward VII, starring former Eastenders actress Kate Williams.

John Craven's Countryfile is currently looking to come to the area and another Channel 5 programme, County Secrets, will look at the history of the county.