This summer, Netflix is in the mood for transatlantic love. First, there was the Lena Dunham series Too Much, which follows a New Yorker seeking love in London. Now the streamer offers more romcom catnip, this time with an Oxford Blues-meets-Sabrina flavour. Fans a trip to the City of Spires, from the town’s literature-rich universities, libraries, and even a fast food shop or two.
What is My Oxford Year about?
Based on Julia Whelan’s novel of the same name, My Oxford Year is a new romance with an old-school flair, the kind of love story that is built on flirting over Tennyson and crying over Sylvia Plath. Sofia Carson stars as ambitious American Anna, a self-made girl who is already smart enough for a Goldman Sachs job waiting for her.
But because banking isn’t as romantic as poetry, the romcom ships Anna off to the dreaming spires of Oxford, where signs up for year studying literature. Once there, she crosses paths with the extravagantly wealthy Jamie (Corey Mylchreest), a charming local who also happens to be her professor (don’t worry, he’s a twentysomething professor).
Where was My Oxford Year filmed?
It doesn’t take an Oxford-level genius to guess the film’s main setting. As Anna and Jamie’s love blossoms, audiences embark on a scenic journey through Oxford’s hallways and libraries with some brief detours to Windsor, London and beyond.
For Londoner Mylchreest, My Oxford Year is a nostalgic reminder of his uni days when he frequently visited the cathedral city to visit a friend studying there. Carson deliberately avoided visiting Oxford before filming to evoke a genuine first-time reaction. These are all the locations where the duo acted out this life-changing Oxford year.
Magdalen College, Oxford
The crown gem of the University of Oxford, Magdalen College features prominently throughout the Netflix film. This is where Anna attends most of her classes, dwarfed by the campus’s central tower, a gothic landmark of the city.
As the camera pans out to the lawns and surrounding buildings, the campus also presents an eye-pleasing fusion of other architectural styles, from the Palladian-style ‘New Building’ to Neo-Gothic quadrangles like St Swithun’s Quad and Longwall Quad. It’s easy to see how the college’s grandeur might have inspired alumni like Oscar Wilde and our humble protagonists.
Bodleian Library and Duke Humfrey’s Library, Oxford
Early on in My Oxford Year, Anna confesses that a long-standing ‘library fetish’ lay behind her dreams of studying in Oxford. Naturally, then, the Bodleian Library is on her travel checklist. It’s one of the oldest libraries in Europe, dating back to 1602, and the second largest in the UK, after London’s British Library.
But being the Oxford native that he is, Jamie woos Anna by guiding her through the varnished 15th-century shelves of Duke Humfrey’s Library, the Bodleian’s oldest reading room. Anna’s inner library nerd is awakened when Jamie leads her to a first edition copy by American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, a move that makes Anna gasp. They also share their first kiss on the library grounds.
King Neptune Fish and Chip Shop, Windsor
The royal town of Windsor also features on the locations. It’s at an unassuming chippy in the town that Jamie and Anna meet for the first time. Anna struggles to differentiate between haddock and cod as she places her order, while Jamie appears to be a cocky lad in his silver Aston Martin.
Radcliffe Square, Oxford
Oxford’s cobbled square comes alive at night as Anna and Jamie have a wholesome rendezvous that ends at a kebab truck. Jamie assures Anna that trying out a doner is a quintessentially British experience, and sure enough, the initially skeptical Anna is wowed by her first kebab. Radcliffe Square is a portal to a medieval past, attracting tourists and film crews alike. Recent films shot at the square include Wonka, Tolkien, and Saltburn.
Clarendon Building, Oxford
In the heart of the city lies Clarendon Building, an 18th century neoclassical edifice that backdrops several scenes in the movie. Look out for Anna walking past it as she rushes into neighbouring spots like the Bodleian Library and Sheldonian Theatre.
Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
No film set in Oxford is complete without the semi-circular, Roman-style theatre where all university students set foot into to graduate. From hosting recitals and lectures to annual graduation ceremonies, the Sheldonian Theatre is inseparable from the legacy of Oxford.
The film features the Sheldonian’s painted ceilings and gilded boxes as the university chancellor invites a new batch to step up, reminding them that they might forget their Oxford friends and the parties, but not their Oxford education.
Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
Showcasing the anthropological collections of the University of Oxford, Pitt Rivers Museum is famous for its vast displays of human skulls, shrunken heads and masks that stare into your soul. The museum has often faced questions around the ethics of displaying remains and ritualistic items from across the globe.
However, My Oxford Year takes a light-hearted approach as the museum is where Anna discusses her love life with her friends. Her snarky classmate Charlie (Harry Trevaldwyn) hilariously points at a mask collection, asking which of these eyebrow-raising faces resembles his exes. Cue a montage of the museum’s collection of Japanese Noh (a dance-drama) masks.
Hammersmith Bridge, London
A longstanding tradition for Oxford and Cambridge students has been the annual boating race, an aquatic standoff that passes several bridges over the River Thames in London. A dramatic leg of the race plays out in the backdrop of the Hammersmith Bridge. The green-and-gold bridge has featured in many London movies, but remains closed to motor traffic since repairs began in 2019.
Rothamsted Manor, Hertfordshire
Oxford’s time capsule nature means that even the students can be found living in accommodation that’s easily a few centuries old. One such spot is Rothamsted Manor, a red-brick building where Anna’s medical student friend Tom (Nikhil Parmar) lives. The only catch is that the manor is located in Hertfordshire county and not Oxford.
Knebworth House, Hertfordshire
My Oxford Year features a 750th anniversary ball (or ‘septicentennial and 50 ball’, as Jamie calls it). It’s a big invite-only party at Knebworth House, the grandiose Tudor stately home that now hosts open-air rock concerts and film shoots. Here, the house grounds host a vibrant carnival, complete with Ferris wheel and carousel.
Knebworth House has a rich cinematic history, doubling as Bruce Wayne’s manor in Tim Burton’s Batman, with its exteriors also featured in 28 Days Later and The Mummy Returns. In both The King’s Speech and some episodes of The Crown, Knebworth stood in for Balmoral Castle.
Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
My Oxford Year’s connections with Tim Burton’s Batman continue with Hatfield House, a lavish Hertfordshire establishment dating back to the 17th century. Jamie drives Anna to his family’s grand, Saltburn-esque estate. His familial home is a showy estate with sprawling gardens, chequered-floored galleries and armouries, and a labyrinth of a wine cellar.
Hatfield House has served as a filming location in Batman, Sherlock Holmes, Paddington, Bridgerton, The Crown, Enola Holmes, and even MasterChef Australia.
Was My Oxford Year also filmed outside England?
Brief yet pivotal moments of the film also play out further afield. The dreamy-eyed Jamie tells Anna about embarking on a classic ‘Grand Tour’ across Europe that includes spending a night on the gondolas of Venice, wandering around the Temple of Poseidon overlooking the Aegean Sea in Greece, and paying a visit to the red-light district in Amsterdam.
For the latter, Jamie’s intentions aren’t sexual, as he desires a pilgrimage to the historic and elegant Oude Kerk (Old Church), the Dutch capital’s oldest structure. While this pan-European journey is just discussed earlier, My Oxford Year actually incorporates these locations for an emotional rollercoaster in the third act.
Who stars in My Oxford Year?
Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest lead the cast as Anna and Jamie. Breaking out with Disney’s Descendants franchise, Carson is a Netflix regular with roles in originals like Carry-On, Purple Hearts, and The Life List. Mylchreest, on the other hand, played King George III in the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte.
The ensemble also includes Dougray Scott (Ever After, Mission: Impossible 2) and Catherine McCormack (28 Weeks Later, Braveheart) as Jamie’s parents. Anna’s ragtag bunch of classmates includes Harry Trevaldwyn (The Acolyte, How To Train Your Dragon), Esme Kingdom (Fallen), and Nikhil Parmar (The Rig, Foundation).
Is there a trailer for My Oxford Year?
Yes, and you can watch it below.
When is it streaming?
My Oxford Year is available to stream on Netflix from Friday, August 1.
Take a tour of Wonka’s Oxford filming locations.
How many of the best romcoms of all time have you seen?
