The locations behind this year’s most bingeable series
We dive into the best-looking backdrops from 2024’s most compelling TV dramas, from Bridgerton and Expats to Ripley
01/06/2024
For those of us who increasingly find their wanderlust comes direct from one of the streaming services, 2024 has been a truly inspirational year. After the slowdowns of Covid and strikes, TV production is back at full speed, and location managers have been searching the world for ever more intriguing places to film in. The pick of this year’s dramas presents us with a whole brochure of beautiful backdrops, from the grandest gardens of England and the crowded streets of Hong Kong to fairytale castles and gourmet hotspots, plus some rather cunning double-takes along the way.
Connie Jenkins-Greig as Violet Bridgerton (née Ledger) in Queen Charlotte. Opening image: the young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and her trusty butler Brimsley (Sam Clemmett)
AROUND THE UK WITH BRIDGERTON
Feverishly anticipated after a distressingly long wait, season three of the Regency saga is finally with us. We will, of course, return to the familiar settings of the Bridgerton and Featherington family homes, filmed at Ranger’s House by London’s Greenwich Park and on the Royal Crescent in Bath, respectively, but brace yourself for a whole new swathe of the UK’s most splendid homes to admire. We’ll visit Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, home to Nancy Astor and famed for its Capability Brown-designed gardens, and Basildon Park in Berkshire, an 18th-century Palladian beauty featured in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice and the film version of The Gentlemen, as well as the Robert Adam-designed Osterley Park in west London. Topping the bill, though, is magnificent Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, home to the Dukes of Marlborough, which is seen in spin-off Queen Charlotte as Buckingham Palace.
Season 3 Part One streams on Netflix from 16 May, with Part Two following on 13 June
Will Forte as Gilbert Power, Siobhán Cullen as Dove and Robyn Cara as Emmy Sizergh in Bodkin
BODKIN IN WEST CORK
This quirky comedy thriller about a trio of bumbling podcasters has plenty going for it. produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, it features US comedy mainstay Will Forte and plenty of deadpan wit. Most enticing of all, though, is its setting in the fishing village of Union Hall in West Cork on Ireland’s south coast. This spot close to Skibbereen gives us small-town charm and endless sea views. Bodkin takes full advantage, so expect to be adding Cork to your bucket list.
Streaming on Netflix
Jeremy Allen White gets hot in the kitchen in Bear
THE BEAR IN CHICAGO
As well as taking all the awards and making a star of Jeremy Allen White as angst-ridden chef Carmy Berzatto, this tale of love and trauma in overheated kitchens also showed Chicago in a new light: as a foodie mecca. While you await the imminent third season, start planning a gastro tour of the city, starting, of course, at Mr Beef on North Orleans Street, the sandwich shop that inspired the show’s own, and where the pilot was shot. Also on the list should be the two-Michelin-star Ever on Fulton Street, where Carmy’s ‘cousin’ Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) interned, and the venues visited by sous-chef Syd (Ayo Edebiri): Kasama on North Winchester Avenue, a bakery by day and Michelin-starred restaurant by night; dumpling kitchen Lao Peng You on West Chicago Avenue; and historic ice-cream parlour Margie’s Candies in Logan Square. For the rest, head for the Wicker Park neighbourhood and start spotting the landmarks.
Season 3 streams this summer on Disney+, with Seasons 1 and 2 streaming now
A brooding Andrew Scott surveys the ocean in Ripley
ITALIAN ESCAPES WITH RIPLEY
While opinion has been divided over this retelling of Patricia Highsmith’s classic psychological thriller, two aspects are irrefutable: the greatness of Andrew Scott in the title role and the beauty of the locations. Captured in era-enhancing black and white, it travels throughout Italy’s impossibly photogenic landscape, from Rome to Naples to Venice, though its star turn is the fictional coastal village of Mongibello. This cliffside vision of endless blue sea and candy-coloured houses was shot in Atrani, just east of the much better-known Amalfi. One caveat before you book: the Moorish-style villa where we find Dickie (Johnny Flynn) is actually on Capri. Called Villa Torricella, it was built in 1902 for two American travellers and is, amazingly, available to rent on Airbnb.
Streaming on Netflix
Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) solves crime on horseback
SHARDLAKE IN AUSTRIA AND ROMANIA
Sitting in a sweet spot between Inspector Morse and Game of Thrones, this whodunit introduces us to sleuthing Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes), called up by Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) to investigate corruption in the monasteries. Adding to the intrigue are the magnificently overbearing locations, where 16th-century England is played by the grander parts of Eastern Europe. Star turns in this first season are two castles that are combined for the monastery: Corvin in Hunedoara in Romania, a 15th-century construction cited by some as an inspiration for Castle Dracula, and Kreuzenstein in Austria, generally agreed to have been a 19th-century replica of a classic fairytale castle. Both have previously hosted movies with names such as The Nun and Baron Blood, and either is enough to inspire a Gothic Grand Tour.
Streaming on Disney+
Expats’ Hilary Starr (Saraya Blue) does some retail therapy
EXPATS IN HONG KONG
Set in 2014, this limited series brings together three American women, led by Nicole Kidman’s Margaret, in the unique atmosphere and geography of Hong Kong. Their complex interactions are underlined and even affected by the backdrop, but you’d be excused for switching off from the plot and enjoying the view, ranging from the cityscape seen from Victoria Harbour to the neon-lit Ladies Market, which redefines the word ‘bustling’. While some of the upscale apartments aren’t to be trusted (filming took place in LA as well as HK), at street level it’s a great representation of the sights and sounds, including the multicoloured windows of the famous 1950s Mido Café on Temple Street, perhaps the province’s most filmed spot.
Streaming on Prime Video
John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) wonders what he’s got himself into in Shogun
CANADA IN SHOGUN
This adaptation of the 1970s bestseller is a thing of beauty, from cast to costume, sets to scenery. Set amid the dynastic struggles of 17th-century Japan, as seen by English explorer John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), it’s a deep immersion in the ancient East: all mist-covered mountains, moss-bound forests and picturesque fishing villages. Enough to have you booking that trip to Japan, in short – so it’s a shock to discover it was filmed in Canada, close to the film hub of Vancouver, more usually seen on screen filling in for the US. Most of the coast-bound scenes were shot at Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island, especially Wya Point Beach. Port Moody, meanwhile, gave us the mountain views and also provided room for the construction of a full village.
Streaming on Disney+
