Black Doves: All The London Filming Locations

Shooting straight to the number one spot in Netflix’s TV charts is Black Doves – a festive spy thriller led by Kiera Knightly and Ben Whishaw. Set in London on the approach to Christmas, it’s the perfect watch this December. But where was Black Doves filmed? Here are all of the real life filming locations to visit while they’re still decked out in Christmas lights.

Where Was Black Doves Filmed?

Black Doves was filmed almost entirely in London, where the series is also set. ‘We’ve used over 100 locations around London, a lot of them around Westminster and the South Bank,’ says location manager Pete Wimblett. When it wasn’t practical to shoot on location – crowds are a perennial problem in the British capital – a studio near Slough filled in the gaps.

While filming in a capital city is notoriously difficult, it was a must for Black Doves. Why? Because of the Christmas setting. ‘London at Christmas is so key to Black Doves that we had to be on location as much as possible,’ says executive producer Chris Fry. ‘The city is like one big set at that time of year, and we would never have been able to replicate that to the scale we needed on a sound stage.’

Keira Knightley & Andrew Buchan in Black Doves. (Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

Black Doves Filming Locations

The Webb Family Home

While Helen (Knightly) and Wallace’s (Andrew Buchan) family home is located in the affluent north London area Highgate, the real house used for filming is on the opposite side of the city: in Crystal Palace, south London. ‘It’s a beautiful house, but we tried to make sure that you get a sense of stability,’ shares production designer Laura Ellis Cricks. ‘It would be aspirational for most people, but also had to feel very lived in and messy, with kids’ stuff everywhere. I don’t know any clean children! We tried to show a beautiful, bespoke kitchen with crap stuck all over it. It needed to be believable.’

Fancy a visit? Sadly this is a real, private house, so no snooping allowed. If you like the look of it, though, know that investing in your own similar Crystal Palace townhouse would set you back around £2.5 million.

The Southbank

In episode 1, Jason’s (Andrew Koji) murder takes place in an iconic spot: the Southbank, with nighttime sparkling lights bouncing atop the River Thames as he slumps on a bench with a shot to the chest. The bench Jason dies on is on a path called Queen’s Walk, and can be found beside Jubilee Gardens. In Black Doves, it is visited by a variety of characters investigating – or mourning – the civil servant’s death.

Just before his untimely demise, Jason was at a historic pub, The Coal Hole (91-92 Strand, London WC2R 0DW), on the Strand – one of the oldest parts of London, with the pub itself thought to have been a haunt favoured by Charles Dickens. Jason then walks to the Southbank, crossing one of London’s many famous bridges, the Golden Jubilee Bridge, while on the phone to Phillip (Thomas Coombes). Connecting the Southbank and Waterloo to Embankment and Charing Cross, this bridge is the perfect vantage point for some iconic London views.

A few more steps away, the Royal Horseguards Hotel (2 Whitehall Ct, London SW1A 2EJ) also features in Black Doves: this is where Sam (Whishaw) finds the bullet casing left behind by Jason’s assassin.

Andrew Koji as Jason in Black Doves. (Netflix)

Somerset House

Another key part of episode 1 is Helen and Wallace’s festive party, which is hosted in none other than Somerset House (Strand, London WC2R 1LA), a grand neo-classical 18th century palace, which today is a gallery and cultural hub and plays host to an annual festive ice rink. Rather than lace up to skate, the Webbs raise a festive toast, before they are greeted by Reed (Sarah Lancashire). Struck by the presence of her handler, Helen descends the building’s iconic spiral Nelson Staircase to speak with the spy in private.

Holland Park School

London’s supremely modern American embassy has gained some status after appearing in Netflix’s political drama, The Diplomat – but Black Doves sadly could not film here. It’s still a working building, after all. Both dramas use the real building, which is located in Nine Elms, for exterior establishing shots, but then Black Doves shot its internal scenes at Holland Park School (Airlie Gardens, Campden Hill Rd, London W8 7AF), an extremely modern state school located in affluent Kensington, right beside Holland Park.

The Royal Lancaster Hotel

When Sam and Reed meet so she can give him his assignment in episode 1, they’re at the bar in The Royal Lancaster Hotel (Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY) near Hyde Park. It is here, too, that Sam sips champagne at the bar (the hotel’s Park Lounge Bar), before retreating to his room to have sex with a man he meets there.

Ben Whishaw as Sam in Black Doves. (Netflix)

Spanish Steps, Rome

A curveball: Black Doves was also filmed in Rome. When Sam gets the fateful phone call about Jason’s death, he is in the Italian capital having a drink at a bar. The real bar is Antico Bar Pasticceria Mariani (Via dei Pettinari, 44, 00186 Roma RM, Italy), and afterwards he strolls to the eerily empty Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma RM, Italy) – an iconic baroque staircase typically visited by droves of tourists whatever the hour.

Regent Sounds

And when Sam goes to a music shop to collect some weapons for his new assignment, he enters the real Regent Sounds (4 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LP), a legendary shop on Denmark Street. Whether the shop is a front for a weapons dealership in real life is a closely guarded secret…

Granada

This spectacular historic cinema appears in Black Doves episode 3, when Sam meets Reed. The setting is striking: an ornate, gothic interior is embellished with art deco furnishings, making it a treasured venue ever since it first opened in 1931. While it’s now a humble bingo hall (Buzz Bingo and The Slots Room, 50 Mitcham Rd, London SW17 9NA), The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones all performed here in its heyday.

Sarah Lancashire & Ben Whishaw in Black Doves. (Netflix)

Festive Scenery

A unique part of Black Doves is its festive backdrop, and these scenes were filmed in real London spots – a city that truly comes alive with twinkling lights and Christmas trees galore come winter. Some of the spots we see on screen include:

• Liberty (Regent St., Carnaby, London W1B 5AH): A high-end department store in the heart of London’s shopping district, famed for its iconic Tudor-style facade and showstopping displays come Christmas.
• Pines and Needles (Royal East Gate, Victoria Park, Grove Rd., London E9 7HJ): This real Christmas tree retailer in Victoria Park appears in episode 4 – but the brand has plenty of outposts across the city every December.
• Cecil Court (London WC2N 4EZ): Nicknamed Booksellers’ Row, this quaint street is visited by Helen, and is home to a plethora of independent bookshops in real life.
• Leadenhall Market (Gracechurch St, London EC3V 1LT): This historic covered market is home to the jewellery store in Black Doves, and is famous in real life for its festive decorations, stunning historic architecture and appearances in Harry Potter.
• Canary Wharf: Most of episode 5’s chase sequence – flanked by glittering Christmas lights – was filmed in Cabot Square and Jubilee Place Mall (London E14 5NY) in London’s financial district.
• St Augustine’s Church (Kilburn Park Rd, London NW6 5XB): This gothic revival, architectural masterpiece was used for filming the festive church scene at the end of the finale.

Bars & Restaurants

And with unsuspecting meeting points a key part of life for the spies, plenty of restaurants, bars and pubs were used to film Black Doves, including:

• PRYZM Kingston (154 Clarence St, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1QP) stands in for the Pyramid Club, Hector’s base of operations.
• The Westminster Arms (9 & 10 Storey’s Gate, London SW1P 3AT), a wood-pannelled traditional pub located a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament and frequented by MPs, lobbyists and parliamentary workers alike.
• Quality Fish Restaurant (11 King St, Richmond TW9 1ND), which is renamed ‘Poseidon’s’ for Black Doves; this is where Sam meets with triggermen manager Lenny Lines (Kathryn Hunter). Sadly, the real restaurant has since shut down.
• Fei Er Cottage (37 Strutton Ground, London SW1P 2HY) is the Chinese restaurant we see.
• The Kings Arms (25 Roupell St, London SE1 8TB) is another historic pub used as a meeting place.
• The Palm Tree Pub in Mile End Park (127 Grove Rd., Bow, London E3 5BH) was used for the interiors of The Kings Arms.
• The English Restaurant (London E1 6HQ) was transformed into Market Coffee House for Black Doves; this is where Helen meets up with Sam.

WATCH

All six episodes of Black Doves are available to stream exclusively on Netflix. netflix.com