Potter scenes look so Tarn familiar

But the loss to Northumberland's tourist industry will be Yorkshire's gain as a Dales beauty spot has joined other well known sights such as Piccadilly Circus and the Mersey Tunnel as locations in the blockbuster.

The penultimate Harry Potter movie — The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 — opened yesterday and, with a million tickets already sold in the UK, the epic is expected to be the year's biggest smash.

When scriptwriters sat down with JK Rowlng's final Potter saga, they felt it was too much for a single film.

With their work done, the producers began to cast around for a stunning rural setting to provide a backdrop to Harry, Ron and Hermione's wanderings as they prepare for the final showdown with He Who Must Not Be Named.

Working with Screen Yorkshire, they settled on the striking landscape around Malham, including the Limestone Pavement, Tarn and Cove.

All play a part in Harry's final adventure with Ron and Hermione as they race against time and evil on their dangerous mission.

Screen Yorkshire worked with the locations team – Warner Bros' contractors Heyday Films – to help them find the perfect backdrop for the atmospheric scenes. They were filmed in the county last November.

It is the latest in the phenomenally successful Potter series that has scenes shot in Yorkshire.

The first two movies – Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets – included scenes recorded at Goathland station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Marie Kitney, from Screen Yorkshire's marketing team, said: "I think it will be particularly good for Yorkshire. Hopefully, the publicity will also help to boost tourism.

"I think the fact they used Yorkshire locations in the past and have come back several years later speaks volumes about the enduring nature of our scenery and that it is so diverse."

Production pressures prevented the Harry Potter stars actually coming to Yorkshire. Instead, the region provided background footage to be projected behind the actors using computer wizardry.

The stunning scenery of the Yorkshire Dales National Park has attracted many film and television productions over recent years including Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe's latest project, the feature film Woman in Black, which is due to be released next year.

Director James Watkins worked for more than two weeks in the Dales. The Woman in Black was written by Scarborough novelist Susan Hill in 1983 and adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt with a screenplay by Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale.

After a premiere at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre, the production moved to London's West End in 1989 where it is still running.

The story follows a young lawyer – played by Daniel Radcliffe – who, while sorting out a recently deceased client's papers, uncovers tragic secrets, and is stalked by a mysterious woman dressed only in black.

Screen Yorkshire has also been involved in the forthcoming adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights by Oscar and Bafta-winning director Andrea Arnold

Based on a screenplay by acclaimed UK writer Olivia Hetreed, who dramatised Girl with a Pearl Earring, it features Kaya Scodelario, from the hit TV drama Skins, as Cathy and is predicted to be one of next year's blockbusters.

Screen Yorkshire's production liaison manager Chris Hordley who assisted the locations team with Deathly Hallows, said: "This is the third Harry Potter film to showcase the fantastic breadth of locations that Yorkshire has to offer.

"Screen Yorkshire has seen an increasing number of productions coming to Yorkshire from outside the region this year.

"A combination of our stunning locations and the experienced crew that Yorkshire has to offer has recently attracted feature films such as The King's Speech, Wuthering Heights and Woman in Black and this trend looks set to continue."

Agency adds value to tourism

Yorkshire tourism is now worth 7bn to the local economy, helped by a surge of overnight visitors which are up 22 per cent since the launch of tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire.

The rise seen in the 15 months after Welcome to Yorkshire began in April 2009 was almost double the UK average of 12 per cent, and the agency has added 4,000 jobs to the industry.

It has produced a high-profile marketing campaign, won two world awards and received Government backing to help catapult the region onto the world stage.

Since Gary Verity took over as chief executive in October 2008, the economic impact of tourism to Yorkshire has increased from 5.9bn to nearly 7bn – making tourism the third largest industry in the region.