Where is Karen Pirie series 2 filmed? ITV crime drama locations revealed
The new season finds Lauren Lyle's titular detective investigating the kidnapping of a billionaire heiress and her infant son four decades earlier, with Karen searching for answers across Scotland and beyond. This means that there are a number of locations that were used for filming in series 2.
For those who are curious to know where the ITV drama was filmed, here is everything you need to know.
Where is Karen Pirie series 2 filmed?
As is expected, much of Karen Pirie series 2 is filmed in Scotland though locations in Malta were also used for scenes in later episodes.
The narrative jumps between the 1980s and present day, and in the former we see oil tycoon heiress Catriona (Julia Brown) and her child meet with family friend Bonnie (Kat Ronney) for fish and chips. Catriona and her son are kidnapped after parting ways with Bonnie, never to be seen again.
Maintaining the location of Val McDermid's original novel, A Darker Domain, the series filmed the kidnapping scene in the coastal town of Kinghorn, Fife. Locations such as the train station and coastal viewers are seen during the scenes.
Luss Estate in Loch Lochmond is another location used for the series, it is where Catriona is kept after being kidnapped and is featured in both the 1980s and present day timeline in the show. The location has been used for filming before, and has featured in shows like Black Mirror.
Glasgow also features predominantly in the series, with music venue Barrowland Ballroom used as a location for a night out that Catriona and Bonnie enjoy before she is kidnapped. It is a historic venue in the city, and cemented its place in music history when it was used for the music video of Simple Minds' single Waterfront.
Another filming location in Glasgow is The Citizen bar and restaurant, which is depicted during a date night between Karen and boyfriend Phil (Zach Wyatt) when they need to blow off some steam from their arduous case.
Outside of Scotland, the series also films in Malta's capital, Valletta, where Karen goes in order to investigate a new suspect in the case. The location does not match McDermid's original novel, which sees Karen travel to Tuscany, Italy, for the final piece of the puzzle — but it is still a magnificent location.
Lyle and Karen Pirie creator Emer Kenny spoke to Yahoo UK about the beauty of Scotland and why it made it the perfect location for a series like the ITV crime drama.
"I find that Scotland, I really believe, being from there, that it just can't be replicated anywhere else," Lyle shared. "I've shot in New Zealand, various places that could be similar.
"There's something quite profound about being from a place that has such a dark, mad history — witches and wars and all these amazing things that have been around for thousands of years — and to shoot something in places that harbour all of that can be quite dark and spooky and exciting. And I think you sort of effortlessly receive it from the place without trying too hard."
Kenny added: "I'm not Scottish, but my family are Welsh and Irish and I think there's a similar sense of humour that I think is really special and I try and give it to the show as much as possible, but there's a kind of darkness to the humour and a wise-cracking, deadpan tone that I think we try and get into Karen and I think it adds something that's quite unique to those kinds of places."
Karen Pirie continues Sundays at 9pm on ITV1.
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