Ted Lasso Turns Hospice Into Hollywood Newest Tourist Attraction

A Berkshire hospice has found itself in the spotlight after an unused wing was transformed into a film set for the latest season of the hit show Ted Lasso. Thames Hospice Otter Wing in Maidenhead was used by the cast and crew of the Emmy winning series during filming last September. The show follows the fortunes of fictional football club AFC Richmond. For the hospice, however, the production was about more than television fame. Chief executive Rachael de Caux said hiring out the unused space provides an important source of revenue, with the organisation needing around £44,000 every day to provide its services. De Caux also praised the production team, describing the cast and crew as humble, professional and considerate, with none of the expected diva like behaviour. She said filming brought an unusual burst of activity to the hospice while allowing normal services to continue with minimal disruption. The production team temporarily transformed parts of the Otter Wing, leaving staff with an unfamiliar looking version of a space they normally know as a clinical environment. It’s really odd when you’re so used to what your ward looks like, de Caux said, describing how the crew dressed the space in around a day and a half. The hospice said the filming also highlighted something important about its environment- while it is a place where people receive end-of-life care, it remains a living and active part of the community. The Otter Wing is not expected to remain a film set forever, however. Thames Hospice has plans to bring the space back into clinical use, with further details expected to be announced later this year. For now, the Berkshire hospice has an unusual claim to fame- its unused ward briefly swapped clinical surroundings for the fictional world of AFC Richmond.