Croxteth Hall and parts of the region have been transformed into a major film set this week, as production crews arrived in Liverpool to shoot scenes for The Man Who Stole Portugal.
New behind-the-scenes images from the set show the historic venue stepping back in time, with period costumes, vintage props and full-scale filming equipment taking over the grand interiors of one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Filming hasn’t been limited to Croxteth Hall, with scenes also shot at Hamilton Square in Birkenhead and on Little St Bride Street in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter.
The production has also attracted some familiar faces, with Dominic West and James Nelson Joyce both spotted on set during filming.
The Man Who Stole Portugal tells the remarkable true story of Artur Virgílio Alves Reis, a fraudster whose daring scheme in the 1920s came close to bringing down an entire national economy.
Reis managed to forge official documents convincing a London security printing firm that he had authorisation from the Bank of Portugal to produce new banknotes. The result was extraordinary, more than £3 million worth of genuine currency was printed and handed over to him.
Using the money, he built a powerful financial empire, purchasing businesses, land and even launching his own bank. At one stage, he came close to gaining control of the Bank of Portugal itself, highlighting the scale of the deception.
The scheme eventually unravelled in 1925, sparking economic panic and unrest across Portugal. The fallout had lasting consequences, contributing to the collapse of the country’s First Republic.
Reis was later arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but his story has remained one of the most fascinating financial scandals in history, widely known through the book The Man Who Stole Portugal by Murray Teigh Bloom.
Now, that story is being brought to screen, with Liverpool once again providing the perfect backdrop.
Croxteth Hall’s historic architecture and preserved interiors make it a popular choice for filmmakers, and productions like The Man Who Stole Portugal continue to showcase the city region’s growing reputation in film and television.
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