This time last year, Fool Me Once came to Netflix and completely grasped the attention of the British public. Now, the next big Netflix hitter from Harlan Coben has finally hit our screens, with Missing You having been released on New Year’s Day, using Manchester and its surrounding towns as a backdrop once again – so it’s only right we talk you through the filming locations.
Eleven years ago Detective Kat Donovan’s fiancé Josh – the love of her life – disappeared and she’s never heard from him since. Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she suddenly sees his face and her world explodes all over again. Josh’s reappearance will force her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past.
From Kat’s Manchester city centre flat, to the recurring bar central to the storyline of Missing You, you’ll recognise plenty of the filming locations used to create the series, so here’s our rundown that’ll have you pointing at your screen like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme.
Opening street party – Turner Street
The first episode of Missing You shows a lovely sweeping shot of a street party, quite obviously on Turner Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, looking towards the facade of the old Fish Market structure. Adorned with festoon lights and a party atmosphere, we’d say the Netflix cinematographers gave a new lease of life to the characterful Manchester street, but honestly, if you’ve ever sat out on the street with a tipple from Ad Hoc, The Smithfield Social or Terrace, you’ll know it’s pretty lovely most of the time anyway.
Kat’s Flat – City Centre
The area behind Deansgate station is pretty spectacular if you like the heritage of all the old mills, factories and industrial history Manchester has to offer, and clearly Kat is a fan as she lives in a gorgeous flat on Little Peter Street. It’s not just any industrial flat though, as Mancunians will spot straight away that this is inside the historic Knott Mill, and was famously home to the late, great “Mr Manchester” Tony Wilson.
Factory Records boss Tony commissioned designer Ben Kelly, the man who also designed the Haçienda superclub just across the road, to create the interiors of the loft apartment back in 1997. It became such an iconic design that it will always be known as Tony’s loft, and has been described as “the original residential loft” of Manchester – and later in the series, we find out just how expensive a plot like this realistically would be. We love the realism.
The Askia Inn – The Freemount
A lot of drama seems to happen in or around the Askia Inn, presumably Kat’s local, and going off the elevated industrial interiors and recognisable beer garden area, we can safely say Northern Quarter pub The Freemount stands in for this frequented spot. The pub appears in countless flashback scenes, including Kat and Josh’s engagement party, and in pivotal scenes in the present day. This is a fun one, because we can point out the spots we’ve made fools of ourselves on many nights out…
Manchester Art Gallery
When Kat finally meets criminal mastermind Calligan, AKA Harlan Coben regular James Nesbitt, she is rather dramatically kidnapped, then brought to the distinguishable Manchester Art Gallery for a strangely civil conversation. The tension is palpable, and it’s wholly believable that a criminal like Calligan would own a huge piece of art like Alexander von Wagner’s ‘Chariot Race‘, and lend it to the art gallery, which would then give him the right to nurse a teapot in a room to himself.
Coffee shop – Pollen, New Islington Marina
Pollen on New Islington Marina plays an important part in Missing You as we reach the climax of the series, as Kat and Charlie share information, leading to some huge discoveries. The coffee shop and bakery is the perfect backdrop, and being loved by Mancs already, we can see this one being an ‘edge-of-your-seat, pointing-at-the-screen’ moment, especially when they part ways along the Marina.
Police Station Exterior – Trafford Town Hall
Westbridge Police Station, with its elegant clock tower, is Trafford Town Hall in Stretford, Greater Manchester, which you may remember as the setting for the hospital in the BBC’s The Jetty. Completed in 1933 as the administrative centre for the former Borough of Stretford, it’s a striking example of 1930s architecture, with a mixture of neo-Georgian and Art Deco styles, with Manchester’s iconic skyline peeking out from behind.
Police Station Interior – Stockport
The interior of police station in which Kat and Stagger (Richard Armitage) work at was actually filmed in Stockport, with Armitage revealing that it was one of his favourite locations to shoot in.
He said: “Often, they are just mundane sets of banks of computers, strip lighting and low ceilings. Our production designer, Vanessa Hawkins, used this old Victorian building, which I think was once an orphanage. It has a balustrade balcony and real height so we have crane shots. You can see the whole of the police station from above and the layering of design within the room. It’s brilliant.
“I absolutely love Stagger’s office. It reminded me of a scene from Columbo. It’s all dark wood and moody mid-century furniture. It’s so interesting because I think the building was derelict. They did an incredible renovation on it.”
Yoga bandstand – Sefton Park, Liverpool
Obviously, Sefton Park is not in Manchester, it’s very clearly in Merseyside, but the production team did a great job of putting Manchester’s skyline in the background of this frequently used filming location. What’s also impressive, is that Aqua’s yoga classes are always done outside… in the North West… granted, under a bandstand, but still incredible.
Coffee stand – Victoria Square, Bolton
Missing You wouldn’t be a Greater Manchester production without using the ‘Hollywood of the North‘ as one of its filming locations, AKA Bolton. This time, the town features briefly when Kat is grabbing a coffee, and gets a text from private investigator best friend Stacy, when she sees a newspaper headline relating to her father. Victoria Square is plain to see behind Kat, with the town hall bells tolling, and honestly it might be the least Bolton has been used on a North West production in the past few years…
Titus’ farm – Glossop
Much of the most sinister action happens at the farm owned by Titus, played by the iconic Steve Pemberton, which is the makeshift hostage holding spot masquerading as a dog breeding complex. The rural location is actually in Glossop, with the surrounding countryside and woodland lending itself to an escapee storyline later on in the series.
On the Glossop location, Steve Pemberton said: “Glossop is where I spent a lot of time in The League of Gentlemen. We worked in and around Glossop all those years ago, so as soon as we were driving into that location – the buildings, the architecture, the landscape – it all came flooding back to me.
“Obviously, Titus needs to be doing his shenanigans in a very remote place. We used two farms, one for the interiors and one for the exteriors. Farms can be quite scary places.”
Prison – Castle Armoury, Bury
The prison at the end of the first episode, “Every Breath You Take”, is the Castle Armoury building on Cooper Street in Bury. Originally built in the 1860s, the Armoury was designed to serve as a drill hall and barracks for the local volunteer militia, a common feature of military infrastructure during the 19th century. The historic building closed in June 2022, leaving it vacant for other uses, including as a filming location for Missing You – Bury strikes again.
Parkgate, Cheshire
Great Budworth, Cheshire
Chocolate box Cheshire village Great Budworth is also one of the more recognisable filming locations, taking Missing You not too far from Arley Hall, which was famously used in Coben’s Fool Me Once. Kat visits Great Budworth on the search for missing man Rishi, which leads her to suspicions about the popular dating app she even uses herself. The backdrop of this gorgeous village is characteristic of our beautiful part of the country, and showcases the history of the area perfectly.
Josh’s House – Derwentwater, Lake District
Of course, it wouldn’t make sense to leave out the Lake District when talking filming locations, and although not in Manchester, the beautiful Derwentwater serves as the location for Josh’s house, and new life – just a straight shot up the M6 from Greater Manchester. Providing sweeping aerial views and lush green countryside, the Lake District location is the perfect secluded spot for Josh to be hiding away, whilst living his new life with his daughter and father-in-law, and makes complete sense for the story. Why not visit the next time you fancy a day trip?
Missing You is available to watch now on Netflix.