JASON WATKINS as DS Dodds and TALA GOUVEIA as DCI Lauren McDonald in McDonald & Dodds. (© Mammoth Screen for ITV)

JASON WATKINS as DS Dodds and TALA GOUVEIA as DCI Lauren McDonald in McDonald & Dodds. (© Mammoth Screen for ITV)

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Where Is McDonald & Dodds Filmed?

4 months ago

The Bath-based drama is back

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McDonald & Dodds returned to our screens last night, kicking off series 4 with a bang. Centring on DCI Lauren McDonald (Tala Gouveia) and DS Dodds (Jason Watkins), it’s the perfect watch for cosy crime fans. But where is McDonald & Dodds filmed? With two more episodes to go, we delve into the famous spots as seen on screen.

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TALA GOUVEIA as DCI Lauren McDonald and JASON WATKINS as DS Dodds. (© Mammoth Screen for ITV)

Where Is McDonald & Dodds Filmed?

McDonald & Dodds is filmed in Bath, where the series is also set. While some scenes are filmed on sets at The Bottle Yard Studios – including those at the police station – lots of the series is filmed on real streets with real Bath landmarks visible in the background.

‘We’re thinking of opening a Mammoth Screen branch office at The Bottle Yard Studios as we’re a returner year on year!’ says Veronica Castillo, head of production at Mammoth Screen. ‘Very much a home from home. TBYS is the perfect base for McDonald and Dodds, the consummate fit of great facilities, excellent studio space, highly talented local crew, fabulous and historic locations both city and rural within easy reach and a wonderfully supportive Bottle Yard team led by Laura, Katherine and Emma. Who wouldn’t want to come back again?’

‘We’ve had some beautiful locations,’ Gouveia adds on series 4. ‘I think my favourite was Colston Hall. Our base was at the Bath Cheese Shop so I got to eat a lot of cheese. That was a highlight. And we were in this big, beautiful house and grounds. We also had quite a few weddings this series so we filmed in some beautiful churches, a barn, the botanical gardens. We are always blessed with beautiful locations on this show.’

Some bonus trivia for you: the question mark at the end of the title sequence isn’t just a CGI layout but actually an accurate representation of the iconic aerial view of Bath’s Royal Crescent (which creates the curve), Brock Street (the straight part) and The Circus (the dot).

TALA GOUVEIA as DCI Lauren McDonald and JASON WATKINS as DS Dodds. (© Mammoth Screen for
ITV)

Bath Filming Locations

Notable locations include:

The Bath Soft Cheese Cafe & Shop (Park Farm, Kelston, Bath BA1 9AQ)
Kelston Village
Temple of Minerva (Botanical Gardens, Royal Victoria Park, Bath BA1 2YA)
The Royal Crescent (Bath BA1 2LR)
Abbey Green
Bath Waterside & Marina (Brassmill Ln, Bath BA1 3JT)
Bath Abbey (Bath BA1 1LT)
Pulteney Bridge (Bridge St, Bath BA2 4AT)
The Guildhall (High St, Bath BA1 5AW)
Lansdown Crescent (Bath BA2 5AU)
Parade Gardens (Grand Parade, Bath BA2 4DF)
Crowe Hall (Bath BA2 6AR)
Compton Dando (Chew Valley)

Bristol Filming Locations

Some scenes for McDonald & Dodds are filmed in nearby Bristol, including in series 4 at The King William Ale House (20 King St, Bristol BS1 4EF), which was temporarily rebranded The Sunne Rising for filming. Other Bristol filming locations include:

Colston Hall (Colston St, Bristol BS1 5AP)
Chandos Road (Redland)
Cattle Market Road (Redcliffe)
Alder Close
Petherton Road (Hengrove)
Hengrove Way
University of the West of England’s Frenchay Campus (Coldharbour Ln, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS16 1QY)

JASON WATKINS as DS Dodds, BHAVIK C PANKHANIA as DC Lee, CHARLIE CHAMBERS as DC Goldie and TALA GOUVEIA as DCI Lauren McDonald. (© Mammoth Screen for
ITV)

What Is McDonald & Dodds About?

McDonald & Dodds is a classic British cosy crime drama, centring on DCI Lauren McDonald (Tala Gouveia) – a streetwise, former Met Police officer who arrives in Bath to head up the Avon and Somerset Police Criminal Investigation Department – and DS Dodds (Jason Watkins), a shy, older investigator who hasn’t seen street action in over 10 years. With episodes running for 90 minutes, the duo binds together to solve a mysterious crime with each instalment.