It is the season for wrapping up warm and enjoying an autumnal walk, and this beautiful village in the north of England has been compared to the fictional town of Stars Hollow where Gilmore Girls is set
This beautiful village has been compared to Stars Hallow in beloved autumn show Gilmore Girls (file)(Image: visitbradford)
As the chillier days arrive, many of us are putting up our Halloween decorations, lighting candles, snuggling on the sofa with a blanket and switching on our favourite cosy, autumnal shows and films. While many choose horror films at this time of year – or programmes like Wednesday or Stranger Things on Netflix for magic and excitement – one of the most cherished cosy autumn shows is Gilmore Girls.
The programme, created in the early ’00s, is set in the fictional New England town of Stars Hollow, renowned for its autumn festivals, pumpkin patches, and coffee shop culture – and recently one Yorkshire town has been likened to it. Haworth has been dubbed the “real life Stars Hallow in England”.
The enchanting West Yorkshire location is steeped in history and perfect for those wanting to discover a picturesque, charming village this autumn. Tucked away in the Yorkshire Moors, it is best known for being the residence of the Brontë sisters, who penned some of the most revolutionary novels in history.
From delightful cafés, independent shops like Mrs Brighton’s Sweet Shop and The Cabinet of Curiosities, and excellent pub food, there is plenty to do.
You can picture Gilmore Girls’ Lorelai strolling around the cobbled streets before pausing for a coffee, and Rory relishing reading and selecting a new book in one of the shops.
In a recent video shared on her social media, @lilyjbet gushed: “Just found England’s very own Stars Hollow. Haworth, a dreamy Yorkshire village, feels like stepping straight into Gilmore Girls – filled with cosy cafés, charming bookshops, and the sweetest little independent stores. Easily reached by train to Keighley and a short bus ride, it’s the perfect autumn escape.”
Another user chimed in: “It’s a gorgeous place! It’s where the Brontë sisters grew up, their parsonage is just around the corner from those shops. Steeped in history.”
A second added: “I love it there it has the Brontë sisters house and it gives of Gilmore girls.”
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Another fan enthused: “I adore it here, well worth the trip to the Brontë house/museum while you’re there.
“Oh my god, I need to move there,” one user exclaimed.
“Awww such a magical place,” another commented. Another user shared: “Haworth is so pretty, I’m desperate to go back, its been a while.
“It’s so dreamy,” echoed another.
How to get there
If you’re driving there are a number of car parks you can use. The Bronte Village car park is open from 6pm to midnight, while the Gas Street car park is open 8am until 6pm, and the museum car park is open 8am until 10pm.
Keighley is the nearest train station to Haworth. According to Trainline, from London there are typically two trains a day that run to Keighley and it will take you just short of three hours. From Birmingham to Keighley there are around 28 train per day, and there are over 160 trains per day from Manchester to Keighley, taking around 2 hours and 26 minutes to get there.
Lauren Perlmutter is a “Gilmore Girls” superfan. She’s watched the show on a loop for the past 10 years. It’s mostly been in chronological order, and sometimes just in the background while she’s working on something else but craving the show’s comforting familiarity.
“It’s like my bowl of chicken noodle soup,” she said.
Perlmutter, 23, like many fans of the beloved series, was born after it first debuted Oct. 5, 2000 on the WB. Her mom, Joelle, had caught “Gilmore Girls” every now and then when it was airing, and she introduced it to her daughter years later, watching it more intently with her new viewing partner.
The series, which starred Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore, a young single mom, and Alexis Bledel as her teen daughter Rory, is beloved for its witty writing and the small-town charm of its fictional setting, Stars Hollow, Conn.
Fans walk through a recreated gazebo like the one in the fictional town of Stars Hollow. “Gilmore Girls” is set in Connecticut, but much of the filming took place on a backlot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.
(Etienne Laurent/For The Times)
Like the Gilmores, the Perlmutters established a Friday night tradition, except instead of a tense (mandatory) dinner with three generations, the pair would churn through episodes of the show and enjoy spending quality time together.
Lauren said she saw herself in the bookish Rory.
“I was so academically oriented. I strived really hard, and I was valedictorian at UCLA, and [my mom] was there in the audience and we made the same faces they did during Rory’s graduation, and I had a speech very similar to Rory’s,” she said. “Being able to have this background story of two women being raised, and then translated over into my life with my mom was just so special.”
Although their busy schedules make it hard to maintain their tradition weekly — Lauren is in graduate school at Pepperdine training to be a therapist (although she once considered pursuing journalism like Rory) — the Perlmutters still get an occasional Friday night viewing party in.
In celebration of the show’s 25th anniversary, Warner Bros. Television Group hosted an immersive pop-up event at the Grove that promised to give fans “a weekend in Stars Hollow” with set recreations and fall decor abound. The Perlmutters were first in line on Saturday morning, even with their drive from the San Fernando Valley.
Despite a prominently displayed “no cell phones” sign like the one from Luke’s Diner, fans couldn’t help but take selfies and videos of the set recreations. The Stars Hollow gazebo, the famous town sign, a replica of Lorelai’s beloved Jeep Wrangler and a display of 1,000 daisies from a romantic proposal scene in the first season were popular photo spots, and visitors cycled through Luke’s to grab coffee and donuts. And plenty of themed merchandise — ranging from the typical stickers, hats and mugs to ultra-specific items like bath salts with branding from Lorelai’s inn — was available for purchase.
While the fanbase is largely made up of women, some men enjoy the show as well. As one husband and father who attended the event with his more enthusiastic wife and daughters put it, “every man had a crush on Lorelai.”
Several hundreds of fans cycled through the Grove to celebrate the show’s anniversary.
(Etienne Laurent/For The Times)
“Gilmore Girls” also starred Melissa McCarthy as Sookie St. James, Lorelai’s longtime friend and chef at the inn she runs; Scott Patterson as the curmudgeonly but lovable eponymous diner owner Luke Danes; Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann as Emily and Richard Gilmore, Lorelai’s (very traditional) parents; and Keiko Agena as Lane Kim, Rory’s rock music-loving best friend. It was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who went on to make the hit series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and several other major projects.
During its original run from 2000 to 2007, the series was popular among viewers but not so much among critics. The show was nominated for only a single Emmy in its seven year run — one for makeup, which it won.
Serri Ferrante and Winona Parks, longtime friends who both work in television, said they suspect the lack of critical acclaim the series got could be attributed to the small size of the WB network, where it aired, and the likelihood that its budget for awards campaigns was small.
“I always voted for it,” Ferrante said, “but it was like a throwaway vote.”
Still, as the scores of young fans at Saturday’s celebration at the Grove prove, “Gilmore Girls” found a bountiful second life through streaming services.
Brittania Chacon, a 22-year-old from Mid-City, said she discovered the series when it kept popping up on her TikTok feed a year ago. It was autumn, which she says is the perfect time to watch — and many fans agree. (The show gets a seasonal boost in streaming ratings every year, according to Nielsen.)
The young crop of fans makes Ferrante “feel old,” she said, “but then it makes me feel connected to another generation.”
While most fans said they return to the show repeatedly either because of its relatable plotlines, sharp writing or the friendly comfort of their favorite characters, for some, it also acts as a primer for difficult conversations between mothers and daughters.
“It helped me talk to her about things that are not easy to talk about — dating, relationships, growing up,” Susie Park of Glendale said. Her 13-year-old daughter Ella, who started and finished the show over the course of the summer, confidently established herself as a member of “Team Jess,” referencing fans’ different camps of support for Rory’s boyfriends throughout the show.
“I think it’s amazing that it’s intergenerational and that I can actually show my daughter and that it resonates with her. She’s at an age where she’s supposed to be taking sex education classes and it wasn’t very helpful, but this was a lot more helpful,” Susie said as Ella burst out laughing.
Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), left, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann) in a scene from “Gilmore Girls.”
(Mitchell Haddad / The WB)
Regardless of which team fans are on regarding Rory’s boyfriends or which of the memorable recurring characters is their favorite, most can agree that they want to see more of the Gilmores and Stars Hollow.
In 2016, many original cast members and creatives reunited to make a revival miniseries, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.” The Netflix series had four episodes representing the four seasons to continue the Gilmore family’s story several years later. While it was hotly anticipated, it was not particularly well received by critics and fans alike because some felt the characters seemed to stray from their core attributes and values that made them so loveable.
So more than two decades after the start of the story, many fans are clamoring for another slice of Stars Hollow life. Graham, who reunited with Bledel onstage at the Emmy Awards last month, said on the red carpet that she’d like the idea of a “Gilmore Girls” Christmas movie.
Regardless of whether the story continues in some shape or form, “Gilmore Girls” is regarded as one of the best series of all time and Lorelai and Rory will continue to fuel conversations between mothers and daughters for generations to come.
Eleni Zumot, who attended Saturday’s event with her sister, her mother and her 9-month-old daughter Amelia (sporting a pink Luke’s Diner t-shirt), said she hopes to re-watch the show with her daughter when the time is right.
Netflix fans have been hooked by the latest season of Virgin River and are already on the search for shows that are similar to the hit romantic drama
Virgin River enthusiasts have been compiling lists of their favourite comparable programmes during the ongoing break, and the number one choice may come as a shock.
Netflix’s popular romantic drama follows nurse practitioner Mel Monroe (portrayed by Alexandra Breckenridge) as she relocates to a quiet Northern California town after experiencing a personal tragedy.
She rapidly develops a connection with local pub proprietor and ex-Marine Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), and together they’ve navigated numerous personal obstacles across six series to date.
Adapted from Robyn Carr’s cherished book collection, the show has established itself as Netflix’s most enduring English-language programme since launching in 2019, with an additional two seasons currently being developed.
With the eagerly awaited seventh instalment expected to arrive either towards the end of this year or in early 2026, supporters have flocked to Reddit to identify the finest programmes offering a comparable small-town atmosphere, reports the Mirror US.
Swoon-worthy small-town drama Hart of Dixie is perfect for Virgin River fans(Image: THE CW)
One member shared a compilation of nine programmes and commented: “Finished Season 6 and damn I’m seriously mourning right now.
“I made a list, so please help me rank the top 3 shows that exactly give Virgin River vibes. Thanks!”
Their selection featured Chesapeake Shores, Sullivan’s Crossing, Ransom Canyon, Sweet Magnolias, Hart of Dixie, Heartland, Gilmore Girls, Cedar Cove and Everwood.
Whilst the majority of programmes mentioned garnered appreciation from at least one supporter in the responses, a somewhat unexpected selection received the greatest backing.
One Reddit user simply declared: “hart of dixie!!!” A second chimed in: “Hart of Dixie!! Best show ever. Dare I say better than VR? (I love vr so this is saying a lot).”
Another fan confessed: “I was absolutely obsessed with this show, I wish I bought the series on dvd back then!”
It even features Doc Mullins star Tim Matheson playing another doctor(Image: THE CW)
Watch Stranger Things on Netflix for free with Sky
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things.
“Hart of Dixie! It’s a gem,” one enthusiast remarked, adding: “And Doc is still the Doc!”
Echoing the themes of Virgin River, the CW series Hart of Dixie centres around the driven Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson), who relocates to the quaint town of Bluebell, Alabama to work as a general practitioner after her aspirations to be a heart surgeon fall through.
Her arrival and subsequent crush on local lawyer George Tucker (Scott Porter) stirs up trouble, especially with his betrothed, Lemon Breeland (Jaime King), who concocts schemes to oust Zoe from their tight-knit community.
As if the plot wasn’t enticing enough, the show also stars Virgin River’s Tim Matheson, who plays another medic, Brick Breeland, father to Lemon.
For fans across the pond, there’s good news – all four seasons of Hart of Dixie are ready for binge-watching free of charge on ITVX.
Are you set to dive into the ideal Virgin River alternative this week?
Virgin River is available to stream on Netflix. Hart of Dixie is available on ITVX.
Disney+ is back with a mega-cheap £1.99 streaming offer – these are the series our team is loving
16:00, 13 Jun 2025Updated 16:21, 13 Jun 2025
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Series we’re loving on Disney+
The weekend is here and for those keen to relax on the sofa with a bingeable series, there’s lots on offer. Disney+ is making headlines for the return of one of its most affordable deals, as prices drop to £1.99.
Shoppers will have to sign up for the subscription to get the £1.99 price, but there is no required contract and users can leave after each 30-day window. The deal is available to snap up by June 30, and it lasts for four months before rising to the previous £4.99 rate.
With a packed TV guide for the summer, including the live-action Snow White and Marvel’s Ironheart, there’s plenty to watch. As a team filled with series lovers, we’ve got a handful of recommendations from the new Welcome to Wrexham season, reality dramas The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, or decade classics like Grey’s Anatomy.
Disney+ has brought back its popular deal that lets new and returning customers join its Standard with Ads plan for £1.99 per month for four months.
This means members can stream hit shows like Andor, The Bear and Alien: Earth, plus countless titles from Star Wars and Marvel, for a fraction of the usual price.
Narin’s favourites – Daredevil: Born Again and Welcome to Wrexham
Daredevil: Born Again might be the best TV series I’ve watched this year so far. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles as Daredevil and Kingpin as the two old adversaries clash once more, with both men trying to juggle their public personas and secret lives inextricably linked with New York’s crime-ridden underbelly.
The result is a show that takes the best of the already-brilliant Netflix run (including some fan favourite returns) and surprisingly makes it even darker and more brutal – what would Walt say?
As a proud comic book geek I freely confess that Marvel fatigue has been a thing for a while now, with much of their output proving a miss rather than a hit for me. Daredevil: Born Again (and actually also Thunderbolts which will be coming to the streaming giant in due course) are a pleasing and much-needed return to quality and definitely a must-see.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney from Welcome to Wrexham(Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez)
Welcome to Wrexham season four is streaming now on Disney+ and this £1.99 deal allows you to watch the thrilling climax of the celeb-led club’s season week by week. In the four short years since A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC for £2 million the club’s fortunes have transformed, taking it into a £150m+ force in football.
This show offers a great behind-the-scenes look at that ascendance, led by both men alongside a cast of supporting characters, including the team’s sweary yet brilliant manager Phil Parkinson and Executive Director Humphrey Ker.
Don’t let the football distract you, though – at its core, this is as much a show about the community and people who live around Wrexham as the on-pitch shenanigans and all the better for it. If you like your reality TV heartwarming rather than angsty then this is your next perfect binge watch.
Harriet’s favourite – The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
If drama, gossip, affairs and the craze of social media is your thing then I’d highlighy recommend The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Season 2 of the reality series has recently hit Disney+ after a gripping first season – and I’ve never been more hooked on a series.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 is out on Disney+(Image: Disney)
Yes, you have to enjoy shows like Keeping Up with Kardashians and The Real Housewives to love this. The series follows a group of MomTok influencers and their Mormon community as they navigate growing social presence and scandals.
Jake’s favourite – Andor Season 2
I’ve been a huge Star Wars fan since I was a little kid, but had almost given up on the franchise after some of its recent output left me with Jedi fatigue. That was until the new season of Andor pulled me well and truly back in.
After admittedly not being blown away by the first season, I was completely gripped by the eponymous rebel spy’s latest mission, so much so that I binged the whole thing in one weekend. It may not feature any lightsabers or Jedi, but what it does offer cements its position as one of the greatest Star Wars titles there is and without doubt, the best episodic instalment yet.
There simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe the series; it’s beautifully shot, each performance is Emmy-worthy and the high-stakes of Andor’s mission result in incredibly intense viewing – especially in the latter half of the series. Going back to watch Rogue One – which is set immediately after the Andor finale – completely changes the viewer’s perspective on the story, making a great film even better.
Jada’s favourite – Abbotts Elementary
Quinta Brunson has been on my radar since she first went viral for her ‘he got money’ videos when I was a teenager, with her enthusiastically telling anyone who would listen that her cinema date was rich since he bought a large popcorn. I’ve watched her through the Buzzfeed years and when I heard that her award-winning show was going to be available to stream on Disney+ I knew it was time to get a subscription.
Abbott Elementary is about a public school in Philadelphia where the odds aren’t really in anyone’s favour. It’s so consistently funny that I’d love to be a fly on the wall of their writer’s room. Quinta plays Janine Teagues, a perky second-grade teacher with so much enthusiasm to make a positive difference. The cast are all hilarious in their own right, Ava the principal (played by Janelle James), who bribed her way into a job has to be one of the standout characters and over the seasons she seems a little more vulnerable even if she remains obnoxiously tone deaf.
There’s romantic tension with Janine and Gregory, played by Everybody Hates Chris star Tyler James Williams, that had me routing for them the whole way through as they awkwardly navigate their feelings.
It’s easily the best mockumentary sitcom I’ve ever seen, my only gripe is the episodes are released later in the UK than the US – so I made sure to catch up to the season finale when I visited the states earlier this year.
Eve’s favourite is something Disney+ doesn’t offer
1883 is, without a doubt, one of the best TV series I have watched to date. I’m a bit of an all-rounder when it comes to the shows I watch.
I’m a sucker for Gilmore Girls and Ginny & Georgia (both on Netflix) as well as the hit, edge-of-your-seat, relatively brutal mob-family extravaganza Mobland (Amazon Prime), Ted Lesso (Apple TV), The Last of Us (NOW) and New Girl (Disney+). All of which bring very different things to the table. But when I was recommended 1883, aside from knowing the bare bones of its description, I had no idea what to expect.
Ginny and Georgia season 3 – Get Netflix free with Sky
Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Ginny and Georgia.
A prequel to the highly regarded Yellowstone (a show still on my watch-list), 1883 is an American Western drama miniseries which follows the origin story of the Dutton family to the Yellowstone ranch. The show sees the five Dutton family members in post-Civil War America flee poverty in Texas and embark on a long, arduous journey through the Great Plains in the hope of a better future in Montana.
A description of the show on IMDB reads: “The post-Civil War generation of the Dutton family travels to Texas, and joins a wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch.”
Exploring the use and roles ranchhands/cowboys as well as the history, challenges and conflicts faced by the Indiginous Americans during this period, it’s an action-packed, heart-wrenching story that had me hooked.
The 10-part series features some pretty big names in the world of film as country music such as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott and even has cameos from Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Hanks. Its sequel, 1923, stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford – also an incredible watch on Paramount+
Phoebe’s favourite – Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy is my mum’s favourite TV show of all time. She has been a loyal viewer since the first series aired in the mid-2000s, so when it was announced that the American medical drama would be available on Disney+, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
I signed up and began binge-watching the gripping show right away. I can happily say Grey’s Anatomy has earned a place in my top TV shows of all-time. It’s full of heart and passion, and a bunch of characters I adore. The show’s creator Shonda Rhimes has me laughing out loud one minute and ugly crying the next. With there being 21 series and over 400 episodes waiting to be watched, it’s sure to keep households entertained for months.
