Where is The Midwich Cuckoos filmed? Location guide for Sky series
Where was this latest adaptation of John Wyndham's book brought to life?
Sky’s new seven-part drama The Midwich Cuckoos is the latest adaptation (by David Farr) of John Wyndham's classic sci-fi novel.
The series stars Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley, and tells the story of an ordinary day in ordinary Midwich.
Life quickly gets less ordinary when the sleepy English town is hit by an unbelievable supernatural event, and every woman of child-bearing age suddenly becomes pregnant.
But is Midwich a real place? And if not, where was the series actually filmed?
Read on for everything you need to know about the filming locations for Sky's The Midwich Cuckoos.
Where was The Midwich Cuckoos filmed?
The series was predominantly filmed in the market town of Amersham in Buckinghamshire, which in the past has been used for filming series such as Midsomer Murders and The Vicar of Dibley.
The production team also used St Albans, a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, for filming, specifically in St Stephen's Avenue. This happens to be mere miles away from where Village of the Damned, a film adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos, was filmed in 1960.
St Albans has previously played home to film crews for The Inbetweeners, The Crown and many other productions.
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Alice Troughton, a director on the series, told the Express that the locations used for the series could be too remote, as it needed to feel like Keeley Hawes' character Susannah could "get on a train and she’s in a glamorous restaurant and she would do that".
She also added that this brings the whole situation "nearer to home" and "makes it more believable that Sam and Zoë would want to move there".
Writer David Farr added: "I always call them commuter towns because they're not weirdly designed for themselves, which gives them a slightly soulless quality to it.
"Everyone is sort of there to get somewhere else quickly like seedy London!
"But it lends itself to drama really well, and particularly science fiction as there's an otherness that everyone's in denial about the entire time."
Is Midwich a real town?
You'll be relieved to hear that no, Midwich is not a real place. It is an entirely fictional location created by John Wyndham for his sci-fi novel, which was originally a village.
However, in the new series it has become a small English commuter town, and is described as "liberal and aspirational, populated by families and affluent streets. A place where nothing much happens."
This isn't the only change from the novel, as the action has also been updated to the present day, rather than being set in the 1950s.
The Midwich Cuckoos continues weekly on Thursdays at 9pm on Sky Max and NOW – sign up for Sky TV here.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, visit our TV Guide, or take a look at the rest of our Sci-Fi coverage.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
