Mgarr Ix-Xini, Gozo. Crystal blue waters, lined by sheer limestone cliffs with Mgarr Ix-Xino tower visible on the farside.

Love Gozo? 10 Films and TV Shows to Watch Before You Visit

By Kerry Gaffney | Last Updated 16/05/2026

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Gozo has been quietly stealing scenes for decades. Long before film tourism or set jetting became a thing, this small island in the middle of the Mediterranean was doubling as Ancient Greece, revolutionary France, the coast of Africa, and everything in between. If you’re planning a visit, or you’ve already been and want to see it through a different lens, this is your watchlist.

These are the ten productions I’d recommend before you set foot on the ferry to Gozo. Some you’ll already know about but I think at least a couple will surprise you.

1. The Madame Blanc Mysteries (2021-present)

If you’re here, you probably already know about this one. But if you haven’t watched all four series, do it before you visit, because the moment you walk into Għarb’s village square or turn a corner in Victoria and recognise exactly where Jean White found her latest unlikely clue, the whole trip shifts gear.

Filmed almost entirely on Gozo, The Madame Blanc Mysteries uses the island brilliantly, village streets, farmhouses, clifftop views and coves all stand in for the fictional French village of Sainte Victoire.

Poster for British cozy crime drama, The Madame Blanc Mysteries.

Sally Lindsay leads a warm, witty cast, studded with guest stars, and the location work is genuinely exceptional. Series 5 is on its way later this year, which makes now the perfect time to catch up.

If you are planning to follow in Madame Blanc’s footsteps, the Gozo in a Day: Film & TV Location Guide is the practical companion you’ll want in your pocket, or on your phone, covering key filming locations in the three most popular filming spots on the island with everything you need to find them for yourself.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video (all series). DVD box sets are also available.

2. Sailor of the King (1953)

The first feature film ever shot on Gozo, and it holds up remarkably well. Based on C.S. Forester’s novel Brown on Resolution, it follows a lone British sailor holding off a German cruiser during the Second World War. The land-based sequences were filmed at Dwejra Bay, a location you’ll recognise the moment you spot the distinctive cliffs.

It’s a proper old-fashioned adventure film, and watching it before a visit to Dwejra adds a layer to the landscape that’s hard to manufacture any other way.

Where to watch: Available on DVD, it also pops up on streaming services regularly.

Sailor of the king movie poster, vintage film poster for sailor of the king featuring a confident sailor with guns, ships in battle, and action scene, classic WWII era design.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and Richard Harris in a rollicking adaptation of Dumas’ classic.

The Gozo and Malta locations are used extensively, this isn’t a case of a single establishing shot and then a studio set. The island’s fortifications, landscapes and coastline feature throughout. The Azure Window makes an early appearance, and Comino stands in for both the islands of Chateu d’If and Monte Cristo itself.

Where to watch: Available on Amazon Prime Video.

Poster for the Guy Ritchie movie, The Count of Monte Cristo.

4. Brideshead Revisited (1981)

One of the great British television adaptations, and a production that used Gozo with considerable imagination. The island stood in for Morocco and Central America in the series, which says something about both the versatility of the landscape and the resourcefulness of the production team.

If you’re interested in Gozo’s cinematic history beyond the obvious, this is essential viewing. The 1981 series remains the definitive version, with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews at their absolute best.

Where to watch: Available on Amazon Prime.

Poster for British classic TV show, Brideshead Revisited.

5. Two Weeks in August (2026)

The newest entry on this list, so new, it’s not actually out yet (premieres 23rd May 2026) and one worth watching while it’s fresh. Shot on location across Gozo and Malta, it’s a contemporary drama with the island very much in the frame — not as backdrop, but as a presence in its own right. It’s already generating interest, which tells its own story about how quickly word spreads when a production gets the island right.

Where to watch: Episodes 1 and 2 drop at 20:00 on BBC 1, Saturday 23rd May. All eight episodes will be available on the BBC iPlayer the same day.

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6. Coronation Street (2007)

Not what you were expecting? We were surprised too when someone casually mentioned that Coronation Street had filmed on Gozo, and that most fans of the show have absolutely no idea. Steve McDonald booked a last-minute trip to Malta, and Gozo stepped up to play its bigger sister.

It’s a piece of trivia that tends to stop people in their tracks, and it’s worth tracking down the relevant episodes if you’re a fan of the show.

Where to watch: ITVX (UK), check out the classic episodes archive as the episodes appear in there from time to time.

Poster for British soap opera, Coronation Street.

7. Byron (2003)

A BBC drama about the life of Lord Byron starring Johnny Lee Mill, and one of the more visually striking productions to use Gozo as a location. The Inland Sea, Ramla Bay and the Citadel all feature, which means three of the island’s most recognisable landmarks appear on screen.

It’s a thoughtful production that takes its subject seriously, and the Gozo sequences give it a grandeur that would have been hard to replicate elsewhere.

Where to watch: Available on Amazon Prime.

Poster for British miniseries, Byron.

8. Game of Thrones (2011)

Yes, Game of Thrones filmed on Gozo. Only one scene but a significant one. The wedding of Daenerys Targaryen to Khak Drogo in the first series used Dwejra Bay to spectacular effect, with the Azure Window and Fungus Rock providing a dramatic backdrop to the nuptials and their celebrations.

Where to watch: HBO Max / Sky Atlantic. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Poster for HBO's, Game of Thrones.

9. Swept Away (2002)

Madonna, Guy Ritchie, and Comino — which is close enough to Gozo that it counts, and easily reachable by boat from the island. The film itself received a rather bruising critical reception on release (to put it diplomatically), but the location work is genuinely beautiful, and Comino’s Blue Lagoon has never looked more cinematic.

Worth watching for the scenery, if not always for the story.

Where to watch: Available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Poster for the Madonna movie, Swept Away.
Swept Away

10. Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)

A survival thriller filmed in Maltese waters with some Gozo-adjacent location work. It’s a tense, well-made film that uses the open sea to genuinely unsettling effect and it’s a useful reminder that the sea, however beautiful, deserve respect.

Perhaps not the most relaxing pre-trip watch, but a good one.

Where to watch: Available on DVD and selected streaming platforms.

Poster for Open Water 2: Adrift.

Bonus: By the Sea (2015)

A film by Angelina Jolie, starring herself and Brad Pitt, filmed entirely on Gozo, mainly at the stunning Mġarr ix-Xini. I’ll be candid: it’s not an easy watch, and the pacing will test your patience. But the Gozo sequences are beautiful, the locations are worth identifying, and it has genuine curiosity value as a production that brought two of Hollywood’s biggest names to the island.

Where to watch: Available on Amazon Prime Video and DVD.

Poster for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt movie, By the Sea.

Already been to Gozo?

These work just as well the other way round. There’s something particularly satisfying about watching a production after you’ve walked the same streets, spotting the exact corner where a scene was filmed, or recognising a doorway you walked past without knowing its cinematic history. Consider this your excuse to revisit the watchlist.

For the full guide to filming locations across the island, you’ll find everything at the Scene on Gozo production hub.

A small limestone gothic chapel on a hill over a harbour, set in a film strip border.

Scene on Gozo

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