Film crews have been back in town.
Over the past couple of years, the charming Northern Quarter has attracted some huge Hollywood projects to our city – with the likes of Netflix’s The Crown and even Jared Leto’s upcoming Morbius film (which is part of Sony’s Spider-Man universe) all setting up camp to use the old-worldly part of our city as its backdrop.
Joining the growing list of productions flocking to Manchester for its inspiring locations, the team behind ITV’s Viewpoint were spotted in town last September, filming scenes in the Northern Quarter (among numerous other Manchester locations) ahead of the limited series premiere this week.
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The thriller series, which stars both Noel Clarke and Catherine Tyldesley, ‘follows a tense police surveillance investigation into a tight knit Manchester community and explores whether it is ever possible to observe the lives of others with true objectivity and zero effect’. The five-part drama is the brainchild of Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer and award-winning writer Ed Whitmore, and is the first ITV drama to begin filming following the UK lockdown.
The series has viewers gripped already, too, with a number of Manchester locations featuring front and centre in scenes used in Episode 1.
So, where was it filmed?
Viewpoint was filmed across Manchester, with a number of city-centre locations featuring heavily throughout. Here’s some you may have spotted already:
St John Street
St John Street – or Westbury Street, as known in the show – provides the central location for the new drama, with the main characters all living on the street known as ‘Millionaire’s Row’.
St John’s Gardens
St John’s Gardens acts as the character’s local park, which is also where the vigil shown in Episode 1 was filmed, too.
New Islington Marina
New Islington Marina graced the screen for the drama’s opening shots, with a drone showcasing the marina and the school that sits at its opening. The exterior of the school was used as main character Gemma’s place of work as a primary school teacher.
Manchester Police HQ
The real-life HQ for the Manchester Police force is featured in the show, however, only its exterior was shown. For the inside, Arbeta in Newton Heath was used.
City Centre
The city centre features a number of times throughout the show, however, viewers will have spotted it already in a number of skyline shots which showcase Beetham Tower, Deansgate Square and more.
Airing on Monday April 26, the thriller airs every night this week at 9pm on ITV, and will come to an end on Friday 30th April. Those who missed Episode 1 last night can catch up on ITV Hub now.
[Featured image: ITV]