Where was Lynley filmed?

Crime dramas are so often closely associated with their locations – you've got Morse in Oxford, Blue Lights in Belfast and Midsomer Murders in, well, the fictional county of Midsomer.

Now, a new drama enters the fray, in the form of Lynley, a new adaptation of the novels by Elizabeth George. Starring Leo Suter, Sofia Barclay and Daniel Mays, all four episodes are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

The series features some dramatic views of the countryside, as Lynley and his partner Havers take on a host of different cases. But where is the show actually set and where was it filmed?

Read on for everything you need to know about the locations used for filming Lynley.

Where is Lynley set?

In Lynley, the title character starts working for the Three Counties Major Investigation Team, taking on criminal investigations in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

This means, the series is predominantly set in those locations, with some scenes also set in London. This is in contrast to the novels and the previous TV adaptation, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. In both of those, Lynley worked for the London Metropolitan Police, and took on cases right across the UK.

Where was Lynley filmed?

Despite being set in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, the series was actually predominantly filmed in Ireland in 2024.

Locations used include areas in and around Dublin, as well as in the Wicklow Mountains and at Mallow Castle. Some additional filming is reported to have taken place in England, including in the Thames Estuary and in the Norfolk Broads.

Speaking with Precinct TV, Lynley star Leo Suter said: "That’s the magic of movies. It’s set in East Anglia, and there are some little moments where we pop up in Cambridge and London, but we actually filmed it in Dublin and the environs, beyond the pale, in the Wicklow Mountains, which are stunning and beautiful.

"So, I really enjoyed that, and Ireland was such a wonderful place to film. We did get some footage of the countryside, but we were not there."

Meanwhile, Barbara Havers star Sofia Barclay added: "But what is great is that the gorgeousness of the countryside is really shown, and I think Ed [Bazalgette], our director, really did an amazing job of showcasing the British countryside element and highlighting that in the field. It’s just really fun because there are amazing scenes with Leo running in ditches and getting wet.

"There’s so much of him in the countryside, and I think that is also what highlights it so much as him in his pant suits, getting completely stuck into the English countryside.

"It is fun and effective, so that was one of the main ways that we enjoyed it. I obviously got to sit by a heater and just watch him get completely soaked. It was so much fun."

"Well acquainted with the mud," Suter said. "But yes, it’s also worth saying that there’s lots of beautiful countryside, because there’s coastlines and gorgeous islands that we filmed on. Other crews went and filmed in the Thames Estuary, so that is authentic and wonderful. So, for American audiences, they’re going to get a good dose."

Lynley will premiere on BBC One on Monday 5th January at 8:30pm. All four episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.

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