ELLESMERE Port has played an important role in a new BBC period drama.

The town's Boat Museum became the backdrop for the programme Lilies, being shot by an independent film company, while the neighbouring Holiday Inn hotel provided facilities for the cast and crew.

The costume drama is set in Liverpool in the 1920s and the production company chose the Boat Museum as one of the locations for the external scenes as it retains much of the environment and character from that era.

Museum general manager Steve Maris said: 'People often forget that it is not just the items within our collection which are historically important, the location of the museum itself is of great interest.'

Members of the Boat Museum Society also got in on the act as extras in the drama, which was filmed on Monday.

Mike Turpin, who plays a fisherman, said: 'It is really good that film companies are using authentic environments for their sets rather than constructing sets themselves.'

Lee Darwen, general manager of the Holiday Inn, allowed the film crew to use its car park, and put aside a conference suite for the actors' use. '