Where is The Holiday filmed? Malta filming locations of Channel 5 TV series starring Jill Halfpenny

Channel 5’s new thriller series The Holiday starring Jill Halfpenny premiered on 1 March.

The four-part drama is an adaptation of TM Logan’s bestselling novel of the same name.

It follows Kate (Jill Halfpenny), a woman whose dream family holiday quickly becomes a nightmare when she discovers that her husband is having an affair with one of her three best friends.

But where was the drama filmed? Here’s everything you need to know.

Where was The Holiday filmed?

Although the novel is set in the rural French countryside, the Channel 5 adaptation is set and was filmed in Malta.

It is not yet known which area exactly, but it is thought to be the Maltese island of Gozo.

The island, which is south of Sicily in the Mediterranean, is an idyllic location and provides the perfect backdrop.

Filming for the show began in April 2021 and lasted five weeks.

How was filming affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?

Production of the drama took place while the island was still in lockdown, so the cast and crew had to undergo 14 days of isolation when they arrived and couldn’t properly take advantage of the beautiful surroundings.

Speaking about filming during the pandemic, Jill Halfpenny said: "Malta was in a pretty strict lockdown when we were there, so we were in complete isolation for 14 days, doing fittings and read-throughs on Zoom."

She added: "And then we were working six-day weeks, so we had to just go to set, film, and go back to our hotel rooms. There was a beach right outside the hotel, but police were patrolling it, making sure people wore masks, so it wasn’t very relaxing!

"We would much rather be working in those conditions than not working at all though, so we were all still really pleased to be out there.

"It was a shame not to be able to go to a nice local restaurant though, we knew the hotel menu off by heart by the end and couldn’t face another curry!"

Who is in the cast?

Jill Halfpenny stars as Kate, who discovers her husband is having an affair with one of her friends. Halfpenny has featured in soaps including Coronation Street, EastEnders and Waterloo Road, as well as In the Club and The Drowning.

She is joined by Owen McDonnell, who plays cheating husband Sean, Liv Mjones (Kyss Mig), Siobhan Hewlett (McDonald & Dodds), Aidan McArdle (The Fall) and Andrew Macklin (Doctor Who) as the rest of their friend group.

Lara McDonnell (Belfast) and Aidan McCann (Britain’s Got Talent) play the couple’s children.

How and where can I watch it?

The Holiday can be watched on Channel 5 at 9 pm and continues nightly, airing four episodes through to Friday 4 March.

All episodes will also be available to watch on My5 after the final show has aired on Friday.