London is loud. It’s crowded. Honestly, it’s often quite gray. But for some reason, we can’t stop filming there. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Netflix lately, you’ve noticed that tv series in london are basically their own genre at this point. It’s not just about Big Ben or the London Eye anymore. Filmmakers are obsessed with the grit of Hackney, the pastel vibes of Notting Hill, and the weird, brutalist edges of the Barbican.
London isn’t just a setting. It's a character that gets paid a lot of money to look moody in the rain.
Everyone knows the big ones. Sherlock made 187 North Gower Street more famous than the actual 221B Baker Street. The Crown has used almost every stately home within a fifty-mile radius of the M25 to stand in for Buckingham Palace. But there’s a deeper layer to how the city is portrayed that most people miss. We're seeing a massive shift in how the capital is filmed. It’s moving away from the "postcard" version of the city toward something that feels a bit more like the real, messy place where people actually live and work.
The Myth of the "London" You See on Screen
Most people think they know London because they've seen it on a screen. They haven't. They've seen a curated, highly expensive version of it.
When you watch a show like You (Season 4), Joe Goldberg wanders through these leafy, cobblestone streets that look like a dream. But if you actually live here, you know his "commute" is physically impossible unless he has a teleportation device. He walks from South Kensington to Shoreditch like it's a five-minute stroll. It’s not. It’s an hour on the District Line if you’re lucky and the signals aren't down. This "geographic soup" is a staple of tv series in london. Producers care about the aesthetic, not the Oyster card logistics.
Take Top Boy. That’s a show that actually feels like the city. It was filmed heavily around the Samuda Estate on the Isle of Dogs and various spots in Hackney. It doesn't use the flashy landmarks. Instead, it uses the architecture of the 1960s and 70s—the concrete walkways and the sprawling estates—to tell a story about power and survival. It's the polar opposite of Bridgerton, which uses Greenwich’s Ranger’s House to pretend we’re all living in a Regency fantasy.
Both are "London," but they exist in completely different universes.
The Tax Breaks Keeping the Cameras Rolling
Why is everyone here? It's not just the scenery. Money talks. The UK’s High-End TV (HETV) tax relief is a massive magnet. Basically, if a production spends enough money in the UK, they get a significant chunk back. According to the British Film Institute (BFI), the spend on high-end TV production in the UK reached billions of pounds recently. London gets the lion's share of that.
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The city is basically a giant factory. You’ve got Shepperton and Pinewood just on the outskirts, but the streets themselves are the real sets.
Where Your Favorite TV Series in London Are Actually Filmed
If you want to find the "real" locations, you have to look past the CGI.
- Ted Lasso: Most of the "Richmond" scenes are actually filmed in Richmond. It’s one of the few shows that stays true to its geography. The Prince’s Head pub is real. The narrow alleyway where Ted walks is real. It’s one of the most "honest" portrayals of a London suburb, even if it is a very posh one.
- The Crown: Since they can't actually film inside Buckingham Palace (the King says no), they use Lancaster House. It’s right near St. James’s Park. If you’ve seen a lavish hallway in a London drama, there’s a 90% chance it’s Lancaster House.
- Slow Horses: This is the best show for seeing the "ugly-beautiful" side of the city. Filmed around Smithfield Market and the Barbican, it captures the grime and the history perfectly. Slough House—the fictional office for failed spies—is actually located right next to the Barbican tube station.
- Industry: This show captures the high-stakes, glass-and-steel world of the City (the square mile). It’s all about Liverpool Street, London Wall, and the Canary Wharf skyline. It’s cold, it’s sleek, and it looks expensive because it is.
The Problem with "Postcard London"
There’s a tension in how the city is shown. International audiences—especially in the US—want to see the red buses and the black cabs. They want the Tower Bridge shot.
But locals hate it.
There was a lot of talk about Emily in Paris doing this to France, but London gets the same treatment. When a show like Lupin or Citadel comes to town, they lean into the clichés. It makes the city feel like a theme park. The nuance of the "real" London—the smell of the Underground, the sound of the sirens, the weird little corner shops in Peckham—often gets scrubbed away for something cleaner.
The "Ted Lasso" Effect on Tourism
London tourism has shifted because of these shows. People don't just go to the Tower of London anymore. They go to Richmond to find Ted Lasso’s front door. They go to Highbury to see where Killing Eve was shot. This "set jetting" is a massive business.
Local councils are catching on. Filming in London isn't free. Productions have to pay the local boroughs for the right to shut down streets. This money often goes back into local services. So, while it’s annoying when your bus is diverted because they’re filming an explosion for Mission: Impossible or a chase scene for a new Netflix thriller, that money is technically helping fix the potholes. Sorta.
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Why the Barbican is Everywhere
If you see a concrete building that looks like a futuristic prison but also a luxury apartment complex, it’s the Barbican. It’s become the go-to spot for any show that wants to look "edgy" or "intellectual."
From Black Mirror to Silo, the Barbican’s brutalist architecture is a cinematographer’s dream. It’s got these long, echoing walkways and strange water features. It’s one of the most filmed locations in the world. It’s also a nightmare to navigate if you’re actually trying to find a bathroom.
The Future of Filming in the Capital
The trend isn't slowing down. With streamers like Apple TV+ and Disney+ doubling down on UK-based content, the demand for London locations is at an all-time high.
But the city is changing.
New developments like Battersea Power Station have gone from derelict ruins (seen in Doctor Who and Sherlock) to high-end shopping malls. This changes the "vibe" available to filmmakers. You can't really film a gritty, post-apocalyptic scene at Battersea anymore because there’s a Chanel store in the way.
This means location scouts are heading further out. We're seeing more of Croydon, more of Thamesmead, and more of the industrial fringes of East London. These places offer a raw look that the gentrified center can't provide anymore.
How to Experience the Best TV Series in London for Yourself
If you’re a fan and you’re actually in the city, don't just do the big tours. They're overpriced and usually a bit cheesy.
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Walk the South Bank. Start at Westminster Bridge and walk toward London Bridge. You will pass at least five locations from Sherlock, The Crown, and Luther without even trying.
Visit the Barbican. It’s free to walk around the public areas. You’ll immediately recognize it from half the sci-fi shows you’ve watched in the last decade.
Go to Richmond. Take the District Line to the end of the road. It’s a bit of a trek, but for Ted Lasso fans, it’s worth it. The green is exactly as it looks on TV, and the pub is actually quite nice for a Sunday roast.
Check out Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. This is the "cheat code" for London filming. It has stood in for Paris, Russia, and 19th-century London. It’s where the finale of Thor: The Dark World happened, and it’s a constant fixture in Bridgerton.
London is a city that is constantly being rebuilt and reimagined. Every time a new camera crew sets up on a street corner, they’re adding another layer to the city’s history. It’s a weird, expensive, beautiful place to film. And as long as the tax breaks exist and the rain keeps falling in that specific, cinematic way, the world will keep watching.
Next Steps for the Savvy Viewer:
- Check the Film London website to see which streets are currently closed for filming; it’s the best way to spot a production in the wild.
- Use the Geotag feature on Instagram for specific locations like "Slough House" or "The Prince's Head" to see real-time photos of the sets before you visit.
- Research the BFI’s location maps, which offer granular detail on exactly where iconic scenes were shot, often down to the specific house number.