AN A-list Hollywood actor left Southenders starstruck after being spotted filming a mystery production at a city centre train station.

Andrew Garfield, best known for his role as Spider-Man, was spotted at the Southend Victoria Station with a number of Universal Pictures vans and TV trucks seen parked up in the nearby Short Street car park.

Residents have speculated that he was there to film an advert produced by Sky, while others have spread the rumour that his clothes suggest he could be filming a new season of hit show “Under the Banner of God”.

However, the reality of what was being filmed has been kept under tight wraps by Greater Anglia and the film crew.

It is the latest in a series of big production shoots taking place in Southend sparking confidence that Southend is quickly becoming a go-to filming destination.

Southchurch Tory candidate, Colin Campbell, said: “People often don’t think much of Southend but there is life coming back to the city and we are being recognised by having celebrities come down to Southend to film.

“We aren’t just another dying seaside town and we need to remind people of that.

“It’s a case of us wanting to bring the arts to Southend, we want to see more of this here and Southend can offer a lifeline to the creative industries, who during the pandemic were the first to close and the last to open back up.”

Mr Campbell added that Southend has a history of filming productions. He said: “Where I used to live, on Eastern Grange, there was quite a large shoot for EastEnders.”

Southend has not been a stranger to attention from the film and TV industries, with comedy drama Sweetpea being filmed in Southend last year, as well as films like the Rise of the Footsoldier series, which have kept Southend as a mainstay location.

In 2022, the final and sixth series of the Crown was filmed outside Southend’s Civic Centre, drawing further attention.

Many episodes of EastEnders have been filmed in the city over the years while last year The Streets frontman Mike Skinner filmed a music video on the seafront and Anne-Marie’s SAD B!TCH music video was shot at Adventure Island.