THE producer of the sequel to the much-loved film The Railway Children said there is a “huge sense of responsibility” in bringing the story back to life for a new audience. 

The success of the original, which was released in 1970, has been enduring and it still plays a huge role in the identity of the district, with locations like the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and Oakworth becoming synonymous with the film.

Now, the cameras are rolling once again as filming for The Railway Children Return gets underway in those same iconic sites, sparking a sense of the magic created all those years ago. 

Starring Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith and Tom Courtenay, the film will tell the story of a group of children evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War Two.

Award-winning producer Jemma Rodgers admitted the team are “slightly terrified” about making a sequel to such a beloved film, but it’s hoped it will open up a whole new generation of people to the story.

She said: “There’s a huge sense of responsibility, I think we’re all massive fans of the original.

"The story of this film has echoes of the original film and it’s got a contemporary storyline at the heart of it, that hopefully connects us enough to the original film, but also has a lot of interest to a new audience.

“Hopefully what we’re doing will create a new audience for the original film as well. Because we’ve got Jenny, and obviously all the original locations, it feels like a natural progression from the original film.”

Jemma added: “The locations are the whole reason this new film exists. I used to live in Haworth, so I knew it was all here.

So when I went to StudioCanal, I said we could do a sequel and use all the original locations, they’re all exactly the same as they were. I think people who’ve not been aro"und here, kind of didn’t know that it was all still here. Particularly the stations are even better for 1944 because the livery is more appropriate for 1944 than it was for the original film.”

And the sequel promises to be filled with just as much heart. Nobody could fail to be moved by the tear-jerking moment when Bobbie, played by Jenny Agutter, cries out ‘daddy, my daddy’ when her father returns and the family are re-united. 

Jemma said: “The whole story of the children having to be moved from their family out to the country and the fact the fathers are at war, there’s a lot of in-built emotion because it’s set in World War Two.

"You forget about the impact that it had for children then to be moved away from their homes. It’s definitely got some teary moments.

"It’s basically about children who have to grow up too fast because of things that grown-ups are in control of, and how they deal with that, which is very similar to the situation we’re in now.”

Jemma said the reaction has been “amazing” and added: “We knew there would be a big pick-up, and I’d always said to people, you have no idea the identity of this film is part of this part of the country and it’s more than just a film.”

She added: “Hopefully we’ve done it proud. My biggest hope is that there’s enough love and emotion and entertainment in this film to make it feel like a natural successor to the original without pretending that we’re ever going to be the original.”