Where Broadchurch was filmed and the dark history of its real-life beach
A complete breakdown of every Broadchurch filming location in series 1, 2, and 3
Broadchurch is one of the most beautiful British crime dramas ever made, a credit to where it was filmed – even though one of its filming locations has a tragic past.
The acclaimed ITV series, created by Chris Chibnall (Doctor Who) and starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, is now streaming on Netflix.
Its first season centres on the death of a local boy and the ensuing investigation, made more difficult by the national media’s interest in the case. The second and third seasons (both of which are fantastic) expand the story in and around Broadchurch.
You may want to visit where they filmed Broadchurch, despite everything that happens. Thankfully, we know where it all took place.
Where is Broadchurch filmed? Is it a real place?
Broadchurch isn’t a real place. It’s a fictional town, situated on the Jurassic Coast in South Dorset, with most of the filming taking place in West Bay.
Chibnall described the series as “a love letter to the scenery of the Jurassic Coast”, using “key West Dorset landmarks as part of its story”.
“The landscape informs the drama: the cliffs, the sea, the beach were all key elements of the story,” he added.
It’s also been suggested that the name stems from Broadoak and Whitchurch, two villages in Dorset.
The truth behind the beach in Broadchurch
The vast majority of the beach scenes in Broadchurch were filmed at Harbour Cliff Beach. This is where they find Danny Latimer’s body in the opening episode, and the show revisits it throughout the series.
Real-life tragedies have also struck this area. Most recently, a man died in July this year after “getting into difficulty in the sea”, as per BBC News. His death wasn’t treated as suspicious.
In 2013, a 65-year-old man was found dead at the foot of the cliffs. Police believe he fell more than 100ft, and he died from multiple injuries. His death also wasn’t treated as suspicious.
A 22-year-old woman was also killed in 2012 after she was buried in a landslide. Part of the cliff collapsed, causing piles of rocks to plummet to the beach below. She was found buried in the rubble after a nine-hour search.
Rockfalls are a known risk at Harbour Cliff Beach. After a landslip last year (no one suffered injuries), a spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “Rockfalls and landslips can happen at any time.”
“If you are out on the coast, please stay safe by taking notice of warning signs and keep to existing paths. Stay away from the edge and the base of cliffs.”
All Broadchurch filming locations
Broadchurch was mostly filmed in and around West Bay in Dorset. However, its filming locations extend beyond this area across the three series.
To make it easier for you, we’ve broken our location guide into three sections: series 1, 2, and 3. Series 1 includes multiple places that appear throughout the show, so don’t expect series 2 or 3 locations to list them (unless there were changes).
Where was Broadchurch series 1 filmed?
Harbour Cliff Beach and West Cliff
The Harbour Cliff Beach (also known as the East Cliff Beach) is perhaps Broadchurch’s most iconic filming location. Anyone can visit it in West Bay.
The West Cliff is exactly what you think it is: it’s the top of the cliff on the West Bay beach, where they filmed several scenes in Broadchurch.. If you visit, just follow the South West Coast Path west from West Bay and you’ll be there in no time.
Jurassic Pier and East Pier
Each series of Broadchurch uses the piers in West Bay. Olivia Colman’s Miller and David Tennant’s Hardy have a particularly memorable conversation on the East Pier in the finale of series 1.
Wessex Police Station
Don’t expect to find Wessex Police Station intact in West Bay. The filmmakers used The Folly, an apartment building on West Quay in West Bay, for the exterior shots of the station.
Broadchurch Cafe
The production team used The Ellipse Café for the interior shots of a Broadchurch cafe in series 1.
The Broadchurch church
Rev. Paul Coates is a recurring character in Broadchurch. In the show, you can find him at St Bede. In real life, they filmed his scenes at St Andrew’s Church in Clevedon.
Sea Brigade Hall
The Broadchurch production team used the West Bay Methodist Church for the town’s Sea Brigade Hall.
The Traders Hotel
Unfortunately, you can’t book a room at Becca Fisher’s Traders Hotel. The film crew took exterior shots at 22 Hill Road, formerly a branch of Lloyds Bank.
Susan Wright’s caravan
The film crew shot all of the scenes at Susan Wright’s caravan at Freshwater Holiday Park in Bridport.
Murder chalet
Local authorities have since demolished the clifftop chalet where [REDACTED] murdered Danny. It was located near a cliff edge in Eype, near West Bay.
Where was Broadchurch series 2 filmed?
Hardy’s home
Hardy stays in a blue chalet throughout Broadchurch season 2. In real life, people know it as the Brit Bank, located on the riverside adjacent to the harbour in West Bay.
Broadchurch Echo newspaper office
The production team used two locations for the Broadchurch Echo office. They filmed some interior scenes in the Old Customs House on Harbour Green, while the newspaper’s branding transformed the exterior of the Harbour Amusements in West Bay.
Broadchurch nightclub
Miller and Claire go to a nightclub in Broadchurch series 2. The production team filmed these scenes in The Lazy Lizard in Weymouth in South Dorset. However, developers have since transformed it into the Kika Beach Club.
Bluebell Woods
The Bluebell Woods are a major plot point in series 2. If you want to see them for yourself, you’ll need to travel to Hooke Park near Beaminster, where you can explore its 350-acre woodland.
Jocelyn Knight’s home
You can find the home of the Latimers’ QC Jocelyn Knight on West Bay’s West Cliff. It is a private residence, so don’t expect to go inside for a photo.
Claire’s safe house
Claire Ripley stays in a safe house in series 2, courtesy of Hardy. We don’t have an address, but it’s a secluded country home somewhere in Morcombelake, a small village near Bridport in Dorset.
Lee Ashworth’s hideout
Lee Ashworth, Hardy’s main suspect in the Sandbrook case, lurks around Broadchurch in series 2. He hides out in a small home in a remote area, which is relatively easy to find in real life.
The filmmakers shot these scenes in a coastguard’s cottage on the Knoll, looking out across the village of Puncknowle in Dorset.
Prison
Series 2 includes several scenes in a prison, including conversations with the person accused of killing Danny Latimer.
The production team filmed these scenes in HMP and YOI Reading, a young offenders institution that closed in 2013.
Wessex Crown Court
The production team filmed scenes in the Wessex Crown Court at Exeter University (specifically, The Forum in the Streatham Campus).
Where was Broadchurch series 3 filmed?
Hardy’s house
Hardy leaves the blue chalet behind in Broadchurch series 3, moving to… a white chalet. It’s located on West Bay’s East Cliff.
Broadchurch Cafe
Broadchurch series 3 used the Watch House Cafe in West Bay for its cafe scenes.
Axehampton House
Axehampton House is the location of series 3’s main crime. People know it as Bridehead House in real life, an estate valued at £30 million. You can find it in Littlebredy in West Dorset.
Farm shop
There’s a brief scene between Trish, the victim in series 3, and one of her friends outside a farm shop. You can find it in real life at Washingpool Farm in North Allington, Bridport.
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