BritBox’s latest original series Magpie Murders, based on the novel of the same name by star writer Anthony Horowitz, isn’t filmed where you might expect.
The story follows editor Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville), who is horrified to discover that the author she has worked with for years has been murdered.
Reading through his final manuscript, she begins to suspect that the murder mystery he was writing might have been based on real events and subsequently could have led to his own untimely demise.
Magpie Murders is set primarily in Suffolk and London, but viewers may be surprised to learn that this television adaptation was actually filmed in Dublin.
Director Peter Cattaneo explained: “That was a given when I signed on, just for economic reasons, really. It’s a more economical place to shoot.
“It’s a complete mix up of Dublin, real Suffolk for a bit and a tiny bit of real London – just establishing shots of the cars driving around Liverpool Street Station.
“So it was about just creating those two very distinctive worlds.”
The distinctive house which is a crucial location throughout the series was found “just outside” of the Irish capital, with producer Jill Green revealing that the derelict property was once owned by Guinness.
The production also travelled out to Bloomsbury in County Meath, with Green explaining it was perfect for their needs “because there is a lot of Edwardian architecture in those squares”.
While the series was mostly filmed in Ireland, those familiar with Suffolk will be pleased to see that the East Anglian county does appear in some scenes, with Green describing the discovery of small village named Kersey as a “real turning point”.
Green added: “To actually find a whole village where about 400 people lived, where they all agreed to let us film and some of them were in it as well, was a really massive turning point for the show and it’s an extraordinary outcome I think.”
Of course, shooting a period drama on location naturally throws up some complications, with Cattaneo recalling that getting all the modern cars off the street was a major hurdle to overcome.
“We got in with the pub and the church and once we got those two on side it seemed to spread to the whole village,” he revealed.
In addition to Manville, Magpie Murders also stars Daniel Mays (Code 404), Tim McMullan (The Serpent) and Conleth Hill (Vienna Blood).
Magpie Murders is available to stream on BritBox. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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