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Elizabeth follows the historic early years of England's Tudor Queen and deals with the twin themes of power and politics.

The young Elizabeth inherits a country wracked by internal religious conflict following the rule of her father Henry VIII and during the film we see her transform from young woman into a powerful monarch.

Crew working on Elizabeth

The right look

Filming took place in the North East for two months and many of Northumberland's stunning castles featured in the film.

These historic, rural locations provided a hard, cold look that contrasted well with the film's lavish interior scenes.

The film's producers said Northumberland "just had the right look".

Alnwick Castle was one of the main locations used, offering excellent backdrops that required little set dressing.

Mannequins on set at Alnwick Castle

An entire lawn within the castle was carefully removed to create the opening 'Burning of the Martyrs' scene complete with dummies doubling as actors.

Other North East locations used include Warkworth Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Aydon Castle, Chillingham Castle and Bamburgh Beach.

"We did recces all over England looking at locations," said the film's location team.

"We found southern England too 'pretty pretty' for our purposes. Whereas in Northumberland you get a real feeling that it's been here forever."