THE wife of rock star Sting declared the Lake District as the most beautiful place in England this week as film stars moved into Ambleside to begin the production on a new movie, reports Ellis Butcher.

Actress and producer Trudie Styler linked up with a 90-strong cast and crew to start work on filming Cheeky, a comedy-drama due for release next year.

Set in a fictional northern town, it tells the story of toyshop owner Harry Sankey, who loses his wife in a house fire and meets Nancy, played by Styler, when he appears on a television game show.

It was written, stars and is directed by award-winning actor David Thewlis, who has worked with Marlon Brando and Brad Pitt, and appeared in the Big Lebowski, and Seven Years In Tibet.

She explained how all the exterior shots would be filmed in Ambleside, and that the town was chosen because of a desire by Thewlis not to have a stereotypical industrialised landscape as a backdrop.

Other scenes will be filmed on Derwentwater and at Windermere Railway station.

Of her new Lake District home, Trudie said: "I have a lovely little place in Grasmere.

It's a place where we can come and get away from it all, and go walking and hiking, like the rest of the world do."

She said Sting used the home for "peace and quiet," and said that because it was a retreat from the city and his career, it would be unlikely that he penned any songs in the Lakes.

During filming this week, Ambleside Conservative Club was transformed into dressing rooms, while Stobbart's Sweet Shop on Church Street has doubled as Mr Sankey's sweet shop.

To keep residents informed and disruption to a minimum, timetables detailing filming were sent to households, and road closure orders implemented.

Where parking outside homes was disturbed, the production company provided free passes allowing residents to park on SLDC car parks.

"The public have been absolutely wonderful and we sent letters out asking them if they minded us being there and asking sometimes for cars to be moved.

"We have had a lovely friendly welcome," said Trudie, who added she was glad the arrival of the cast and crew had boosted the local hotel trade.

To film the fire scenes, special effects were used to blacken the exterior of a property on Millans Park belonging to the Bessie family, and a smoke machine was brought in.

Other cast members to star in Cheeky include comedian Johnny Vegas, who advertised the ITV Digital service alongside a puppet monkey; actor Ian Hart, who gave a scene-stealing performance as John Lennon in the 1993 movie Backbeat; and Lesley Sharp of Bob and Rose featuring Alan Davies.

Trudie Styler added that many of the cast had been proud of the performances given by newcomer Sean Ward, 14, who plays Sankey's estranged son.

Cheeky, which could be screened at The Cannes film festival in May, is being made by Xingu films, the production company Trudie Styler established seven years ago.

Thewlis, a previous winner of the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award, was unavailable for comment because of production demands.

In an interview earlier this year he reportedly said of Cheeky: "I'm going to be starring in it.

I wrote it, I'm going to direct and I'm doing the cooking as well!"