Where was The Control Room filmed? Glasgow filming locations for BBC drama - including a Christmas tree farm

The Control Room is a three-part BBC drama set in Scotland which focuses on Gabe, an emergency call handler who answers the phone to a mysterious woman.

When the woman tells Gabe that she has killed someone, he starts to feel out of his depth, and when she recognises his voice, Gabe worries that he will be dragged into the mystery.

As the tension ramps up, the action moves out of the control room and onto Scotland’s streets as Gabe uncovers his connection to the woman who called him.

Where is The Control Room set?

In the series, Gabe works for Strathclyde Ambulance Service in Glasgow, and the rest of the show is also set in the city.

Glasgow is Scotland’s most populous city, ahead of Edinburgh and is recognisable for its Victorian architecture.

Where was The Control Room filmed?

Glasgow

The Control Room was filmed on location in and around Glasgow, and featured a cast predominantly born in Glasgow or elsewhere in Schotland.

Filming for the series took place in September 2021, and took place in the city centre, with Rose Street closed for production. Other city centre streets were also closed for filming.

Iain De Caestecker, who plays Gabe, told Radio Times: “There is something about going home that you feel a bit more at ease there.

“I spent some time before that filming in America, which I really loved, it had been a really cool experience.

“And being back to Scotland there’s just zero pretentiousness, and I just find it’s a really, really down to earth place."

Joanna Vanderham, who plays Sam and was born in Perth, Scotland said: "The crew in Scotland at the moment is just… the bar’s been raised since I was last there for sure because we have a lot of productions filming there.

"I think it’s a lovely opportunity to get to show off how beautiful Scotland is and the people that are there. It’s a show that is centred on real people in an extraordinary situation and I think that’s mirrored in the casting and I think that’s mirrored in the locations that have been used."

Christmas tree farm

A real Christmas tree farm, also in Glasgow, was used to shoot a major scene in the final episode of the series.

De Caestecker said that shooting in the festive location during late summer was a strange experience.

Vanderham added: "One of the nights we were filming night shoots, and this mist had settled on the Christmas trees.

“And we had our big floodlights, obviously so everyone could see what they were doing, and it was just as if there were diamonds just all over the Christmas trees. It was so magical.”

What else has been filmed in Glasgow?

Other productions filmed in Glasgow include The Batman, Trainspotting, T2, Shallow Grave, and Filth.

When is The Control Room on TV?

The Control Room began airing on BBC One on Sunday 17 July at 9pm and episodes are airing nightly.

The final episode of the series will air at 9pm on BBC One on Tuesday 19 July.

Episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after they are first broadcast.