Where is Ridley filmed and who is in the cast? All you need to know about Adrian Dunbar's latest ITV drama

Adrian Dunbar's new ITV drama Ridley has got fans hooked as the star returns to screens outside Line Of Duty - and they want to know where is Ridley filmed and who is in the cast?

The mini-series is centred on retired ex-Detective Inspector Alex Ridley (Adrian Dunbar) who is enlisted by his former protégée DI Carol Farman, (Bronagh Waugh) as a police consultant on a complex and compelling murder case. 

As the investigation takes a dark and unexpected twist, Carol is keen to access Ridley's unique insight into crime-solving which has served them so well in the past. 

The series is inspired by recent cases of real life retired detectives re-joining police forces in a consultancy role as we look some of the Ridley film locations you might recognise...

Where is Ridley filmed?

ITV crime drama Ridley is filmed in and around Lancashire and Yorkshire in the north of England. Adrian Dunbar previously admitted it was the first time he'd worked on location there. “I didn’t know Manchester; I didn’t know the areas around Manchester. But I absolutely loved working there. It was great. I had a great time in Manchester,” he said.

But for any northerners or locals watching who might recognise some of the settings, among the filming locations used were Todmorden Wind Farm on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border, as well as the local canal for a scene in episode three.

Meanwhile, some scenes were filmed on Le Mans Crescent in Bolton and the actors were watched by locals who were excited to see film crews roll into town.

According to the Radio Times, eyewitnesses saw a number of extras dressed up as barristers for the scenes, which were shot at Bolton’s most famous landmark.

Mr Dunbar added, “There were some really interesting areas that we went to, and some beautiful places as well. We filmed in the winter, so it was cold, and it was bleak. But all those things will add to the atmosphere of the piece.”

Meanwhile, Bronagh Waugh praised the location for setting it apart from a "gritty city drama".

She explained, "Set against the backdrop of this stunning Yorkshire and Lancashire vista makes it a very different show. It’s very rural. It feels like a small village or town, and that’s what sets it apart. It’s not trying to be a gritty city drama.”

She continued, “It has a unique flavour of being set in the north of England. So there is that toughness and that hardiness that you get there, but with the wonderful warmth that you get in the north of England.”

The series was filmed over the winter and conditions were so realistic and bleak that film crews had to shut down production after it got flooded. But Bronagh admitted the northern weather helped give the show its aesthetic: “We’d spent six months outside in this stunningly epic, dramatic backdrop. I think every murder that we investigate, there is epic rain, epic wind – there’s a different element in every episode. We’ve got snow, we’ve got rain, we’ve got sleet, we’ve got gale force winds, over the whole series, which is perfect.”

Ridley ITV cast

• Adrian Dunbar as Alex Ridley.
• George Bukhari as DC Darren Lakhan.
• Bronagh Waugh as DI Carol Farman.
• Georgie Glen (Call the Midwife) as Dr. Wendy Newstone.
• Terence Maynard as DCI Paul Goodwin.
• Julie Graham as Annie Marling.
• Bhavna Limbachia as Geri Farman.

How many episodes in Ridley?

Ridley consists of four one-hour episodes. All four episodes are now available to watch on ITV hub, as each episode has aired every Sunday from August 28th, 2022. All four episodes have since appeared on screens, with episode four having aired on 18th September.

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