The Last of Us

A church might not be the first place you'd expect to see zombie-like creatures and the collapse of society played out on screen. But, this is exactly where the producers of HBO's The Last of Us chose to film for season 2 of their hit TV-series.

When the Parish Council of St Clement's met last year to consider HBO's proposal, there was widespread support. From teenagers to senior members, it seemed that everyone in the parish was caught up in the riveting post-apocalyptic drama. Based on a video game franchise of the same name, The Last of Us is more than just blood and gore. It's about real, human stories. One Council member spoke to an episode in season 1 of the series featuring gay couple Bill—a misanthropic survivalist played by Nick Offerman—and Frank, who happens upon Bill's isolated bunker.

"The men . . . their love story," she said, "It's the most beautiful episode of television I've ever seen." 

With the team of producers on site at St Clement's throughout 2024, the church was transformed into the set for a new year's dance. During a Sunday service, parishioners even got to enjoy the overhead lighting used for the shoot.

"It was powered by a separate generator," said rector, the Reverend Helen Dunn.

"So we didn't blow the church's heritage electrical supply," she joked.

Until the series premiere yesterday, the name of the series had been kept a secret, drawing speculation from the community as to which Hollywood celebs might be spotted in the neighbourhood. We don't want to give away too many spoilers—you'll have to watch the series for yourself. We will say, though, the shots of the church are pretty epic and we're proud to have been able to feature another LGBTQ storyline—this time of main character Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey. 

The Last of Us is streaming now on Crave.