'Tom Hanks' and 'Steven Spielberg' film: World War Two plane spotted at Oxfordshire set

A new television show, rumoured to be produced by Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks and famous director Steven Spielberg, is set to take place in Oxfordshire.

Planning permission for a 'prestigious' television programme has been submitted to allow for filming at Dalton Barracks, a military base near Abingdon.

Read here: Filming for 'Tom Hanks' TV show taking place in county

Excited residents across Abingdon and Shippon have suggested that the filming taking place is for a new mini-series called 'Masters of the Air' .

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, World War Two bomber, spotted at ‘Tom Hanks’ and ‘Steven Spielberg’ set. Picture: Eirian Jane Prosser

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Masters of the Air is a Second World War mini-series being produced for Apple TV.

The TV show is going to be a follow-up to the Emmy-award-winning Second World War miniseries Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

Details about the production say that the series will focus on the 100th Bombardment Group (a unit of the US Air Force) who were based in Thorpe Abbotts in Suffolk during the war.

This week, construction of a life-size model aeroplane of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - the planes used by the 100th Bombardment Group - was started at Dalton Barracks.

The target decision date for the planning application was meant to be March 18 - but at present, the Vale of the White Horse District Council has not publicised its decision.

The application for filming states that the production wants to ‘recreate the airbase on the airfield’.

It goes on: “There will be no flying, although the runway will be used to film aircraft landing and there will also be aerial photography over the runway of planes taxiing.”

A 'control centre' was also spotted by residents, being built at the barracks.

Read also: First look at set for 'Tom Hanks' and 'Spielberg' TV show being filmed in Oxfordshire

Last week The Sun reported that residents were unhappy with the location Hanks and Spielberg chose for their new production.

A resident said: “For loads of people locally this is the most exciting thing that has happened in a long time, but for some folk very close it’s a real-life nightmare.

"There has been a year of lockdown already disrupting normal life and now there’s thousands of crew, actors, and machinery descending – not to mention the late-night pyrotechnics."

Other residents, however, have come forward in defence of the film claiming it is a great thing for the local economy and the town to have such well-known movie stars in the midst.

Richard, who lives on Barrow Road, behind the barracks, told the Oxford Mail: "I think it is a great idea to be filming on the airfield.

"Hopefully it will put Abingdon and Shippon on the map and maybe encourage a bit of tourism and interest in the vast history of the area and the airfield.

"Hopefully it will create a little boost to the local economy as well."

The ex-military personnel added that he had 'zero disruption from the production' despite living at the end of the airfield.

Others showed their support of the Hollywood production on Facebook.

Controll Centre being built at Tom Hanks Film set in Dalton Barracks, Picture: Eirian Jane Prosser

'Control centre' being built

Read here: Television shows filmed in Oxfordshire

Pedro Delvader said: "I live in the village and there are no complaints."

Chrissie Soden added: "This is brilliant for Abingdon and the village after the rubbish year we’ve had you would think people would be happy with something exciting happening locally."

PJ Norton said: "I think it would be wonderful to have a movie filmed in Abingdon."

An air date for Masters of the Air is yet to be released.