Where was Cooper & Fry filmed?

New 5 drama Cooper & Fry stars Robert James-Collier and Mandip Gill as the titular mismatched detectives – while Cooper is an affable local copper, Fry is guarded and aloof, having recently transferred from Leeds under somewhat mysterious circumstances.

The series is based on the bestselling novels by Stephen Booth, and sees the characters form a unique friendship as their personal lives begin to intertwine and their past scars look to be healed.

Beyond the characters and the mysteries they investigate each week, viewers will no doubt also be drawn to the show's remarkable scenery, showing off some beautiful countryside locations.

But just where is the series actually set and where was it filmed? Read on for everything you need to know about the filming locations used for Cooper & Fry.

Where is Cooper & Fry set?

Cooper & Fry is set in the Peak District in Derbyshire, and specifically in the fictional town of Edendale.

It follows Ben Cooper, a local police officer who is partnered up with Diane Fry, a new member of the team. She was a successful detective in Leeds, but has to adapt to countryside policing throughout the series.

Of his fictional location, Stephen Booth, the author of the Cooper & Fry novels, told Shots Magazine: "My interest in using a strong sense of place in crime fiction goes back a long way. Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles made a deep impression on me as a child – a very dark story, with a wild, remote setting.

"In another story, Holmes tells Dr Watson: 'The lowest and vilest alleys of London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.' So it was perhaps inevitable that I would choose a rural setting for the Cooper and Fry series. And the Peak District was the perfect choice.

"The original inspiration for Edendale, my fictional Derbyshire town, came while I was admiring a wonderful panorama of the Hope Valley from a location called Surprise View, above the village of Hathersage. It was the spectacular picture I had in my mind when I began to write Black Dog, the first novel featuring young police detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry.

"But that spot also marks the boundary between the Dark Peak and the White Peak, the geologically contrasting halves of the Peak District which provide perfect symbolism for a crime novel, representing the dark and light, good and evil.

"Those sudden eruptions of black, twisted rock in the middle of a picturesque landscape constantly remind me of the darkness that lurks beneath the surface."

Meanwhile, James-Collier said of the show's setting: "As beautiful as the Peak District is, it’s also foreboding and there are a lot of dark elements in the woods. If you're in a bleak corner of your life, which Diane is, that feeling is projected onto the landscape and fired back at you.

"The landscape can be intimidating, too, especially if you’re there alone and realise how a fall or a quick turn of the weather could kill you."

Director Ryan Tohill, who helmed episodes 1 and 2, added: "The darkness of the stories drew me in. When I read Black Dog I felt the haunting rural community of Edendale was the detail you could lean into and use to make a different type of detective series. I wanted to make the series as unsettling as I could."

Where was Cooper & Fry filmed?

Despite being set in the Peak District, the majority of Cooper & Fry actually appears to have been shot elsewhere – in Dublin.

Production notes have recorded that the series was filmed in summer 2025 in Dublin, as well as the coastal town of Wicklow.

Meanwhile, director Jesse Quinones, who helmed episodes 3 and 4, posted on Instagram after the series was announced: "Can finally let the cat out of the bag, Cooper and Fry will be hitting your screens on @channel5_tv very soon! Been a blast shooting this show in Dublin, the first time I’ve had the chance to work in my mother’s home town.

"Big shout out to @clapperboard_st, @failsafefilms, and @channel5_tv, as well as the amazing cast and crew. And of course to the author of the Cooper and Fry books Stephen Booth!

"Big shout out to my amazing team @dave_alexander333 at @gershagency @a.h.mills at @revolutiontalentlit and managers Industry Entertainment!!"

It has also been reported that some additional filming did take place in the Peak District, although exactly where has not been confirmed.

Cooper & Fry begins on Tuesday 18th November at 8pm on 5.

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