Naman Shrestha
Inspired by real-life stories of retired cops, PBS’ ‘Ridley’ is a British police procedural drama series created by Paul Matthew Thompson (‘Vera’) and Jonathan Fisher that follows the retired detective Alex Ridley, portrayed by Adrian Dunbar, who is called back into action as a consultant, only 18 months after his early retirement due to him suffering from a nervous breakdown. It happened due to his struggle to deal with the loss of his wife and daughter in a house fire.
A part-time pianist and singer in his own jazz club, Ridley is pulled back into his old job by his replacement and former protege DI Carol Farman. Keen to get an insight into Ridley’s unique case-solving methods, the newly promoted Carol gets some much-needed assistance to crack a complicated murder case. The crime mystery series unfolds across rural Lancashire, England, as Carol teams up with Ridley and travels to different sites in search of evidence related to the murder case. So, if you are interested in knowing where ‘Ridely’ is filmed, we have got you covered!
Ridley Filming Locations
‘Ridley’ is filmed entirely in England, specifically in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Bolton. According to reports, the principal photography for the debut season commenced in November 2021 and wrapped up around mid-April 2022. Now, without wasting any time, let’s traverse through all the specific locations that make an appearance in the PBS series!
Lancashire, England
A majority of ‘Ridley’ is lensed in and around Lancashire, the ceremonial, non-metropolitan, and historic county situated in North West England. In particular, an actual farm situated near the town of Rawtenstall in the borough of Rossendale is utilized to tape several key portions for the crime series. Moreover, the Masons Arms pub, which is located at 6 Co-Operation Street in the small village of Crawshawbooth, just north of Rawtenstall, serves as yet another important production location for the show.
Other Locations in England
For shooting purposes, the production team travels to other locations across England, including the historic county of Yorkshire. In late January 2022, the cast and crew members were spotted recording multiple important scenes around the Todmorden Moor wind farm on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border as well as the canal in Todmorden. In the later stages of production of the debut season, many locals and passersby spotted various extras dressed up as barristers in and around Le Mans Crescent, which is considered Bolton’s most famous landmark.
A few additional portions for ‘Ridley’ are also lensed in Watergrove Reservoir, which is located near Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, and Hollingworth Lake at Smithy Bridge in Littleborough, both in England’s Greater Manchester. Bronagh Waugh, who portrays DI Carol Farman, spoke to Bradford Zone about the filming locations. She said, “Set against the backdrop of this stunning Yorkshire and Lancashire vista makes it a very different show. It’s very rural. It feels like a small village or town, and that’s what sets it apart. It’s not trying to be a gritty city drama.”
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