The Tower fans, assemble: ITV is bringing back the hit crime drama for a second outing.

Advertisement

Adapted from former Met Police Officer Kate London's bestselling series of novels by screenwriter Patrick Harbinson, The Tower season 2 revolves around Gemma Whelan's no-nonsense detective, DS Sarah Collins, as she's tasked with getting to the bottom of the cold case of missing schoolgirl Tania Mills.

Meanwhile, Lizzie is called to a domestic violence complaint, which eventually leads to her to cross paths with Sarah once again as their cases unfold.

The drama unfolds in London, but is the ITV series actually filmed there? Read on for details about the filming locations for The Tower.

Where is The Tower filmed?

Stuart McQuarrie as Jim Fedden, Bobby Lockwood as DC Lee Coutts and Gemma Whelan as DS Sarah Collins in The Tower 2: Death Message.
Stuart McQuarrie as Jim Fedden, Bobby Lockwood as DC Lee Coutts and Gemma Whelan as DS Sarah Collins in The Tower 2: Death Message. ITV

While the story of ITV's The Tower is set in London, production looked north when deciding where to shoot the hotly-anticipated series, with star Emmett J Scanlan (Peaky Blinders) previously naming two major cities as key locations.

Talking about season 1, he revealed: "I was either filming in Liverpool or Manchester so frequenting streets that I used to frequent back in 2010 [while appearing on Hollyoaks]. That was definitely a trip down memory lane.

"I don’t really mind where I’m filming so long as I’m filming. I’m usually my happiest when I’m on set and we get to play, get to dance, get to make believe. It’s the creative process that’s important to me."

Similarly, writer and executive producer Patrick Harbinson confirmed to ITV that filming for the series has so far taken place in Liverpool, with the production set to return to the city for the recently confirmed The Tower 3: Gallowstree Lane.

It's understood that the first season of The Tower also filmed around Cheshire, with the Liverpool Echo posting snaps of the cast shooting a funeral scene at Runcorn Cemetery, located in the borough of Halton.

Those familiar with the county may also recognise the surroundings in another key moment, with Scanlan naming a "beautiful" local park as the setting of a "crazy" scene between himself and co-star Tahirah Sharif.

He teased: "There’s a place in Knutsford called Tatton Park, which is beautiful. I shot there for Peaky Blinders season six and then two weeks later I ended up in the exact same location for The Tower, back in that park where you can see wild animals walking around, deer, all sorts of stuff."

Scanlan added: "There is this crazy seven-minute scene that me and Tahirah have and it’s beautifully written. The weather that day was insane. We got rain, we got gale-force winds, we got sun – all in any one take. It was pure chaos but in a way that weather took us out of our thinking brains into whatever moments we were in."

Sticking to a similar area for season 1, the cast and crew also worked in Glazebury, Warrington, a town located between Manchester and Liverpool, as reported by the Warrington Guardian back in May.

Meanwhile, Wirral Globe noted that the series had also set up camp near Seacombe Ferry Terminal for a scene involving a disused Merseyrail train.

The Tower 2: Death Message premieres on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Monday 28th August, with episodes airing consecutively across four nights. Season 1 is available to stream on ITVX now.

While you're waiting, take a look at our other Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide.

Advertisement

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement