Where was ITV thriller Liar filmed?
Here's where you will find the marshes, the restaurant and the town from Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd's drama Liar as it returns for a second series
The first thing that hits you about Liar is its breathtaking location. The first episode of the psychological thriller opens with a sweeping shot of a lone kayak in the marshes as Laura Nielson (Joanne Froggatt) slices through the water – and we return to the marshlands again and again all the way through the drama.
This is a dark story set in a pretty little seaside town, and some troubling events take place around its traditional pier and picturesque harbour.
Where was ITV's Liar filmed?
Laura's home town doesn't actually exist – at least, not in the version we see on TV.
The majority of the series is filmed in Deal on the Kent coast, but executive producer and director James Strong also used a number of other locations in order to bring the town to life. "He had a specific look in mind and a specific vision of a place he wanted it to be," writer Jack Williams explained at a screening in London.
"It has to feel specific, but not so specific that it doesn't feel like it could happen in the world today. It has to feel like a very present thing that can happen anywhere and to anyone." (The "it" being the rape case at the centre of the drama.)
The pier we see on screen is Deal Pier, a local landmark on the sea front.
Other locations included Walmer and the pebbly beaches of Kingsdown, as well as the seaside resort of Margate.
What about the marshes at the beginning of Liar?
The marshes that you see in the opening scene where Laura goes kayaking are actually located in Tollesbury, on the Essex coast. Tollesbury Marina is at the mouth of the River Blackwater, where it meets the North Sea.
Does the restaurant on the pier really exist?
Yes and no. "It's just a cafe," Jack said after filming series one. "It's a pretty nice cafe, but the sandwiches aren't great." A little investigation shows that this spot was actually called Jasin's Restaurant, and served soups and sandwiches and all-day breakfasts: not an ideal location for a fancy date.
However, Jasin's Restaurant has since closed. The site is now occupied by Deal Pier Kitchen, which gets much better reviews (but is still only open during the daytime).
Read more on Liar
- Who killed Andrew? All the suspects and evidence
- Everything that happened in Liar and where we left all the characters
- Full Liar cast list - who's who in the ITV thriller
- What we know about Liar series 2
Liar airs on Mondays at 9pm on ITV
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