Where is Stay Close filmed? Location Netflix drama series by Harlan Coben is set - and cast with James Nesbitt

Stay Close is the latest eight-part series to hit Netflix, and many viewers have been left wondering where the mystery drama is set as the original story, written by Best-selling novelist Harlan Coben, is based in the US.

However, viewers have been quick to spot UK landmarks throughout and the British actors have left many wondering if the screen adaptation veers from the book.

So, where was the series filmed and where is the story set? This is what you need to know.

What is Stay Close about?

Stay Close follows the life of four strangers who are more intertwined than they first realise, as past crimes begin to unravel and secrets begin to emerge linking the group.

Starring James Nesbitt, Cush Jumbo, Richard Armitage and Sarah Parish, the series stays close to the original storyline but is not set in the States, where the book is set.

It focuses on a young mother-of-three named Megan (Jumbo) who moves to another part of town and changes her identity, also known as Cassie.

The Netflix synopsis reads: “Four people each conceal dark secrets from those closest to them; Megan (Jumbo) a working mother of three, Ray (Armitage), a once-promising documentary photographer, Broome (Nesbitt) a detective unable to let go of a missing person’s cold case, and Lorraine (Parish), an old friend of Megan’s. As the past comes back to haunt them, threatening to ruin their lives and the lives of those around them, what will be their next move?”

It also promises “trademark thrills, gripping suspense and secrets of past crimes beginning to unravel,” making you question “how much you really know someone.”

Where is the series set?

Stay Close is set in the north of England, in the fictional town of Ridgewood.

American writer Coben had intended for the story to unfold in New Jersey’s Atlantic City, US, but like with his previous screen adaptation ‘The Stranger’, Stay Close has been set in the UK for the series.

Where was Stay Close filmed?

Merseyside and central Manchester were among the filming locations for the series, but Blackpool was also utilised as Coben revealed “while the book is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Blackpool really looks a lot like Atlantic City.”

He also admitted “It’s always a challenge to move things around.”

Manchester and St Helens

From the outset, the series has a number of scenes which were filmed in clubs and bars around the northern city.

The Vipers Club, where Megan is reintroduced to her old friend Lorraine in episode one, was actually filmed inside Impossible in Manchester.

For Megan’s hen-do in episode one, the Manchester bar Refuge also makes an appearance.

As for St Helens, viewers might have noticed that birds eye shots show a massive head sculpture. This is actually the ‘Dream’ statue in St Helens, designed by artist Jaume Plensa.

Blackpool was chosen for several of the outdoor shots, seemingly due to its uncanny likeness to Atlantic City, while Manchester’s Northern Quarter was used for city centre shots.

Stay Close released on Netflix UK on 31 December 2021, all episodes are available to watch now for Netflix subscribers

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